Through the Looking Glass
by llamaglamasama
Summary: A series of DC/MK based oneshots. These will probably feature Conan and Kaito, but that may change. Requests are accepted if anyone has ideas.
1. A Mother's Hope

Okay these are all DC/MK oneshots. They aren't connected to any prompt or anything unless I happen to come across one that inspires me. Enjoy.

- - - - - - - -

A Mother's Hope

A slim figure hid in the shadows, quietly watching the teenage boy as he bound the wound on his arm. He was half dressed in a white tuxedo, a white top hat sitting on the floor next to him. The bloody jacket had also found a place in the cluttered of this old room, along with the red tie that always accompanied it.

"Dammit." The teenager cursed softly. He reached into his pants pocket and drew out a sparkling ruby that filled the width of his palm. "All that and it's not even what I'm looking for. Damn." He carelessly tossed the billion-dollar ruby to the side, grumbling all the while.

He rose from the floor slowly and walked to the life-sized portrait of Kaitou Kid. Carefully pushing open the hidden door, he cradled his injured arm and headed to his room for a few hours sleep before school the next morning.

Smiling softly, the figure left it's hiding place and approached the Kid's fallen clothing. Kuruba Hikaru gently gathered all the bloody articles and set them aside for disposal. It wouldn't due for the police to find Kid's bloody suit, after all. She buried it in the backyard before returning to her husband's portrait. "He's growing up, Toichi." She whispered fondly, "And he's following right in your footsteps." She sighed softly and pushed the picture open to enter Kid's lair. She searched through the junk scattered around the floor until she found what she was looking for. Moving to the more organized corner of the room, she set the ruby on the desk where her son would find it later. "Let's just hope he gets farther than you did, my love." She smiled softly and left the room once more. "Good night…Toichi. Watch over him."


	2. Chocolate Joy

Chocolate Joy

"Ohayo!" Ran called when Conan descended the stairs.

"Ohayo, Ranneechan." Conan yawned, rubbing his weary eyes behind his glasses. Conan sat at his spot at the table and looked down in surprise. 'Chocolate?' He gave Ran a questioning look, but she just smiled.

- - - - - -

"Ohayo, Conan-kun!" Ayumi screamed as soon as she saw him.

Conan rubbed his ear. "Ohayo, Ayumi-chan."

The girl blushed and shoved chocolate in his face.

"Huh?" Before anyone could say anything, the bell rang and sensei called for attention.

All through the day, people kept shooting Conan looks. At lunch, multiple boxes of chocolate fell onto his desk, all the girls blushing the whole while. Conan looked around the room. Something was going on here. Guys were glaring at him, girls were staring at him, Haibara was laughing at him… okay, he was definitely missing something here.

When the day ended and he was walking home with Haibara, his eyes out when she tossed him a box of chocolate.

"Haibara? What the hell is going on here? What's with all the chocolate?" Conan demanded.

"Really, Kudo-kun, I thought you were supposed to be some great detective. Don't you know what day it is?"

"February 14. So?"

Haibara put her head in her hands. "Do you know what February 14 _means_?"

"…that it's the 14 of the second month?" Conan shrugged.

Haibara started laughing. "It's Valentine's Day, moron."

"Valentine's Day?"

"Yeah, you know, when girls give guys chocolate?" She mocked him.

"Wait a minute… don't they give chocolate to the guy they like?"

"Yeah, so?" Haibara raised her eyebrows.

"You just gave me chocolate." He cocked an eyebrow in her direction.

She colored. "Don't get your hopes up, Kudo."

He smirked. "Right."

**Conan strikes me as the type that would totally miss something like Valentine's Day until someone told him. He forgets his own birthday, afterall.**


	3. Would You?

Would You?

"Hey, Hakuba," The blonde Brit looked up to see the usually cheerful magician fixing him with a puzzled stare.

"Hmm?"

"What would you do if your world were suddenly turned around?"

"Turned around…how?" The blonde asked cautiously. Their conversation had already drawn many curious ears.

"Like…say if you found out that someone close to you had been murdered, and you knew who did it, but you couldn't catch them through legal means."

"Hypothetically speaking? I'd do what I could to make sure they were brought to justice?"

"Even something illegal?" Kaito asked carefully.

"I-" Hakuba appeared at a loss.

"This is all hypothetical of course." Kaito assured.

"Of course." Hakuba frowned, "I…guess I would, but only to a certain point."

"Oh?"

"I would never, under any circumstance, take a man's life." He said firmly.

"I see." The brunette contemplated Hakuba's answer. "Hmm. Thanks, 'Kuba-kun!" He grinned cheerfully and laughed when the Brit flinched at the familiar title.

"Kuruba?" Hakuba looked at him sternly, "What's this all about?"

"Oh, nothing. I just read something in a book and got to thinkin'."

"A rare thing."

Kaito grinned.


	4. If She Was Happy

A cookie to anyone who can guess who I'm talking about in this one.

- - - - - - - - - -

If She Was Happy

Some people think it's cliché that childhood friends end up with each other. I disagree. As a matter of fact, childhood friends usually end up in a more brother/sister relationship. That should've been how it was for me. Except it wasn't. I lo- liked her. A lot. But she was supposed to be my _sister_, right?

Dammit, don't they have manuals on this, or something? _How to Live with Screwed Up Thoughts for Dummies_?

Gods, why of all people did it have to be _her_? Anyone else and I coulda brushed it off, forgotten about it. But not her.

I could just picture her face now if she knew how I felt: her beautiful face dimming, her sexy lips curving into a frown. And then it'd come, those two most hurtful words in the world. _I'm sorry_.

Ouch. It was painful just to think about it. Every damn time she was around, those images would just start a mantra in that damn empty head of mine. But I couldn't avoid her, even if it meant feeling the rejection I knew would some day come. I couldn't leave her side. What if she got hurt? What if someone came after her because they had a grudge against me? No, I couldn't let that happen. I'd rather die than see her in pain. That's why I'd never tell her. It would hurt her, to kill my hopes like that. She wouldn't want to shoot down everything I longed for. So I'd stay quiet, if only to prolong her happiness. I'd never let her get hurt, not if I could help it. It didn't matter that I was hurting. It never mattered what I felt. No, everything came down to her. As long as she was happy, I would be able to live.

Okay, so maybe I'm exaggerating a little. But I swear, it's only a _little_. I really would do anything for her, anything at all, even if she asked me to leave her side and never come near her again. I'd do it, even if it killed me. 'Course, I'd probably stalk her from a distance or something if that happened. Just to make sure she was okay, of course.

Really though, as long as she was happy, I'd manage. I could survive as long as she was safe and happy. I'd survive…somehow.


	5. Arch Enemies

I was actually thinking about Hattori Heiji when I wrote the last one, so congrats if you guessed right.

- - - - - - - - -

Arch Enemies

"Um… Hakuba?" The magician was nervous, a trait that would send most people running.

"Yes, Kuruba?" The blonde glanced up from his book.

"Why," Kaito leaned down, planting his face directly in front of Hakuba's, "are you reading _Arsene Lupin, Gentleman Thief?_"

Hakuba carefully placed his bookmark and closed the book, leveling the brunette with his gaze. "Does it bother you?"

"Yes! I mean, what would you do if I started reading _The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes_!?"

"The best way to understand someone is to put yourself in their shoes." Hakuba stated simply.

"You mean like how Kid impersonates you?" Kaito grinned.

The Brit glared. "Forget it, Kuruba." He sighed.

Kaito cackled and walked off.

- - - - - - - - -

Hakuba looked apprehensively at the parcel on his desk. He knew from experience what could happen if one went around opening gifts in the presences of Kuruba Kaito.

"What's wrong, Hakuba? Scared?" Kaito leered at him.

Tentively, Hakuba reached out and began to unwrap the present. Immediately, all students in the area dove under the nearest desk, covering their ears. Saguru gulped. Squeezing his eyes shut, he briefly pondered calling the bomb squad. Deciding that they wouldn't listen, he carefully opened the box.

**SILENCE**

Hakuba squinted through one open eye. "What the-?"

In the center of the box lay an authentic version of _Arsene Lupin versus Sherlock Holmes_.


	6. Inmate

Inmate

"Why?" The single word seemed to echo through time. 'Why', that one phrase that never seemed to have a satisfactory answer. That one question that was expected to fulfill expectations, but would instead leave one cold and alone.

"Why did you do it?" He asked again.

The teen smiled sadly through the bars. "Isn't that your duty to find out?"

"Kuroba!" The detective slammed his hand against the cell bars. "You have to tell us! You're only hurting yourself by not!"

"Hakuba," The magician stated calmly, "we all have our reasons for what we do. They may not be worth it, but at the time, we decided they were, otherwise we wouldn't have done it."

"That doesn't tell us anything, Kuroba."

Kaito gave a small smile. "Good. That means you're safe." He cleared his throat. "I'm sorry to say I won't be able to stay much longer. I'll likely leave before the trial, so don't waste too much money on the lawyer."

"What? Kuroba, you can't-" Hakuba was cut off abruptly by Kaito's glare.

"There's no longer a question of 'can' or 'can't'. I have to, and that's the end of it." Kaito sighed. "I'll be leaving a little something for you and Nakamori to find."

Hakuba nodded and began to leave. He stopped, however, when Kaito grabbed his arm. "Don't come after me, Hakuba. Please… I don't want to put you or Nakamori in any more danger." He stared directly into his eyes. "You won't be hearing from Kid again."

Kuroba had fulfilled his word. The evening before his trial, he simply vanished in a cloud of smoke. As he said he would, he left two parcels on his cell's bed, each addressed to Nakamori and Hakuba respectively. They weren't anything special: a simple 'thank you for the hospitality' note and a 'sorry for any damage I may have caused' letter. He also left a separated gift inside Nakamori's package, one that was addressed to Aoko.

Years later, Hakuba returned to Japan to check up on old friends. He had become a freelance detective and, as Kid had wished, hadn't tried to look for his friend. He was surprised, however, when a young woman stopped him in the road, just as he was passing the Kuroba household.

"Thank you." Was all the girl said, taking his hand in a brief shake. When she left, Hakuba looked down to see a shinning gem, a note sitting in his palm underneath it.

Surprised, he slid the note out and looked at it.

_Hakuba,_

_Thank you for keeping yourself and everyone else safe. _

_This gem needs to be destroyed._

_Please try to dispose of it, if you can. _

_I apologize for everything and, once more, thank you._

_ Kuroba Kaito_


	7. Unexplainable Situation

Thanks for reviewing to everyone

Thanks for reviewing to everyone! Sorry about all the typos. One day I might go back and fix them… maybe…

Unexplainable Situation

"So, Conan stared at the strawberry blonde figure in front of him, clutching the small capsule in his palm. "What's the probability?"

"There's still a 70 chance of death, 20 chance of success, 7 chance that the pill will work, but the acceleration will kill off the brain cells slowly, and 3 chance that something unknown will happen."

"Well, we managed the 1-in-50 chance of living, right? We should be okay." Conan gulped. "You… you _are_ taking the pill, too, right?"

"Yes," Haibara nodded, re-rolling the sleeves of her overly large lab coat. "However, I shall observe the effects of your dosage first."

"Okay." He swallowed nervously. "Well, here goes nothing." He downed the pill in one go and waited breathlessly.

The effect was immediate. His heart seemed to pulse, painfully, and his entire body felt as if it was on fire. Finally, his mind gave way to the darkness and he fell into a restless slumber.

Blue eyes blinked slowly, attempting to adjust to the light. He raised a hand before reeling back in shock. It was big. He looked down at himself and gasped. "It…worked?"

"So it seems." A young woman approached him, a familiar head of hair crowning her forehead.

"Hai…bara?" She nodded softly. He grinned at her. "It really worked." He muttered, disbelievingly. A sudden movement in front of him caught his attention. "Wha?"

Conan's pre-adolescent face, minus the glasses, peered up at him from the bundle of white fabric.


	8. Pretty Lies vs Harsh Truths

Pretty Lies vs

Pretty Lies vs. Harsh Truths

Ran

"Hey, Ran? I gotta go." Shinichi's voice said apologetically through the cell phone in the teenage girl's hand. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Shinichi." Ran reassured quickly, rubbing the tears from her eyes. "Just… come back soon, alright?"

The only answer was the dial tone.

"Tadima, Ranneechan!" Conan called to her a few minutes later. "Ranneechan?" He gazed up at her with sorrowful eyes.

"I-I'm fine, Conan-kun. Welcome home." She smiled warmly. "I'll just go fix dinner, okay?"

"Hai." He responded obediently. He gave her one last look before hurrying into his room.

Ran sighed. 'I'm okay as long as you're near me. Until you can tell me, I'm okay like this.' She thought sadly.

Sonoko

A pretty girl with a definite sense of fashion glared down at the boy of seven.

"If Kudo doesn't come back soon, you should just move on, Ran." She insisted. The kid flinched.

"Sonoko…" Ran sighed, exasperatedly, "I _can't_ 'move on'. It's- forget it."

Sonoko's eyes narrowed as Chibi-chan sighed in relief.

"But… what if he's lying?" She asked suddenly. Both Ran and Conan's heads flew up to look at her uncertainly. "I mean… what if he's shacked up with some girl somewhere." She watched as Conan looked back down. For a second, she could've sworn she saw a flicker of _fear_ in those eyes.

"He wouldn't do that!" Ran declared resolutely.

"Well… if you say so. Maybe he's hiding somewhere."

"Maybe." Ran nodded. "But whatever could make Shinichi hide must be terrible." She glanced down at her young charge as she said this.

'No way.' Sonoko stared at the kid. "Hey, Chibi-chan, why don't you go over there." She pointed in some vague direction. As soon as he was out of sight, the girl turned to her best friend. "Ran…you don't think _Chibi-chan_ is Shinichi-kun!"

Ran sighed. "I don't know. They seem so alike, but…people don't just _shrink_, Sonoko, And they've appeared at the same time before. But even so… I-I know it's silly, but…"

"Why don't you confront him?" Sonoko demanded.

"Well, if Conan-kun is Shinichi, he's got to have a good reason for it. And yeah, I'm kinda mad he hasn't told me, but for now… I'd rather keep him happy. If that means pretending to be clueless, well…which would you prefer: Pretty lies or harsh truths? If he thinks the lies are necessary, then I'll live with them."

**I've never really liked Ran, but I don't think she's stupid. She grew up with Shin-chan, and Conan's way too similar for her not to notice.**


	9. Maturity

Maturity

Maturity

_Who are you?_

_I'll tell you in the afterlife._

Takagi frowned in concentration as he looked at the young boy. He was not normal, that was for sure. No one that young should know these things. I mean, he claims to have learned them from Mouri-san, but really… have you seen that guy? He's a complete idiot until he starts making those noises and he slumps over.

Takagi had made it far enough in the police force to know the signs of drugging. Of course, he always dismissed such theories when Mouri-tantei began talking, but… he was completely different when he became Sleeping Kogoro. And Conan… He always vanished when the deductions began, popping up occasionally to show them evidence, but… he _never_ appeared when Mouri was actually saying something.

That was definitely odd. He didn't know what it meant, but it was strange.

And then there were those smirks he would sometimes see on Conan-kun's face when he was talking to the other kids. That smirk was totally bizarre on a child's face.

But by far, the weirdest thing about Edogawa Conan had to be the eyes. No seven-year-old should have those sort of eyes. They were too tired… too knowing…too sad. No kid should have that much depth to them. And the _pain_. Granted, he'd only ever seen flashes of it, but there was something that hurt Conan-kun deeply. Something he kept hidden behind glasses and a childish smile. Conan-kun was way more mature than a child should be. He shouldn't have such mystery to those marvelous blue eyes.

There was something about Edogawa Conan that was odd indeed.


	10. Questionable Reality

Set just after the Halloween Party arc

Set just after the Halloween Party arc.

Questionable Reality

A blonde woman in her late thirties sighed heavily. She couldn't believe that Sharon Vineyard, Chris Vineyard, and this Vermouth were all the same people. Certainly, that couldn't be true, could it? I mean, Sharon was Chris's _mother_ for god's sake. Or was that a lie as well?

And now, she worked for this evil syndicate. Or maybe she'd been working for them even then.

"_Yukiko-chan?"_

It was just impossible to wrap her mind around. She'd been good friends with Sharon for a good many years. There's no way she'd believe that was all an act. No, Sharon had been her friend, she wouldn't doubt that.

"I…"

She would never forget the times they'd shared together, apprenticing under Toichi-sensei. They'd all been so close.

"_I'm pregnant."_

And Kudo Yukiko would never forget the friendship they'd all had, whether it had been real or not.

**It's up to you as for who's talking…**


	11. Innocent Question

Innocent Question

Innocent Question

"Ne, Tantei-kun?" Kaitou Kid called to Conan.

"What?" He bit out.

"If the Black Organization are 'crows', does that make your Ojou-chan an Albino Crow?" Kaito quickly scampered out of firing range.


	12. Rule Breaking

Conan stared up at the acrobatic thief. Said thief was currently sporting a very short skirt, not to mention a rather large addition to his chest. Kaitou Kid was laughing manically as he bounced around, flipping over officers as they tried the old dog-pile-on-the-bandit.

"How the _hell_ do you do that without giving everyone a floorshow?" Conan suddenly demanded. The officers who weren't already on the floor promptly fell over, anime-style.

The thief froze, turning to the boy with a very amused expression on his face. "Why, my dear Tantei-kun, it's all a matter of physics."

"Physics would tend to support the floorshow." The shrunken-detective mumbled.

"Tantei-kun, you should know that I have a certain knack for breaking the laws." Kid smirked and vanished in a puff of smoke.

Who cared if those laws just happened to be the oh-so-unbreakable laws of physics?

* * *

**Who knows how this one came around? Hope you enjoyed!!**

* * *

As Conan was being ushered out of the musuem, a small length of paper fluttered in front of his head. On reflex, the boy caught it.

_Why, Tantei-kun, if you wanted a show, all you had to do was ask._

_ Kaitou KID -doodle-_

Some of the taskforce members glanced at the boy, surprised, when he crumpled the paper and a fiery aura sparked to life around him. Gritting his teeth, the detective muttered a string of curses that shouldn't never have been heard by a boy his apparent age.


	13. Through the Looking Glass

Through the Looking Glass

Takagi Wataru sighed, gazing out the window at the small form, wandering around the room. That poor boy…trauma teams had been sent to help him, but…no one seemed to get through to him…no one could break through the shell that protected him.

The policeman sighed. It was so tragic, the accident that had marred all their lives. Who knew that the girl's smile had had that much of an effect on them? A sob echoed through the room, making Takagi sigh again. Mouri Ran, poor girl, had been brutally killed in a car accident, trying to save her young charge from getting hit.

He rose from his chair, slowly, wearily, and opened the door. "Conan-kun, can you come here for a moment?" He asked hesitantly. The boy nodded blankly and followed him into the room. "Conan-kun…" He sighed, "I'm sorry, I know this is hard for you, but…" The look in Conan's eyes was almost irritation, causing Takagi to stop in mid-sentence. He let out a slow breath. "What is the world like through your looking glass?" He asked suddenly. Conan jerked in surprise. "Why do you use them when they're obviously not necessary?"

"What makes you say that?" Conan whispered.

"It's true. There have been many times when your glasses have been missing that you've managed to see clearly. Besides…you always panic when you realize your glasses are missing…why? What is it you are hiding?" Conan was silent, his eyes wide. "Please, Conan-kun, we _need_ to know. It could be important."

"It is," He whispered, barely audible. "Important, yes, but dangerous…too dangerous." He looked up into Takagi's eyes, "Don't dig, Takagi-keiji, please. It's too deep, too damn deep…" He trailed off, eyes now fixed on his shoes. "Please." He whispered.

Takagi stared at the small child. He looked so fragile… "Alright," He said. "I won't dig…but Conan-kun…if something happens, if you need help, please, come to us."

Conan nodded. "Thank you, Takagi-keiji. Thank you."

**This originally started out as a conversation between Kid and Conan, but…somehow it seemed more fitting to have innocent Takagi to do so.**


	14. Unexpected Understanding

Unexpected Understanding

Kaitou Kid watched as a small figure wandered the night. The child reached a park and sat himself down under a large oak tree. He sighed and lay back on the grass, pulling his glasses off and shutting his eyes. A soft 'whoosh' made him look up to see a figure in white.

"Kid," He groaned. "What do you want?"

"I'm curious." Kid said.

"About what?" Conan barked, irritation clearly coloring his tone.

"Do you regret what you've done? Lying to your friend, living as a mask…do you regret it?" Kid asked, his voice revealing none of the emotions swirling around his head.

"What?" Conan whispered. "I – no, I mean…I don't like what I do, but…justice doesn't care about feelings. If I wasn't here…with Ran, I mean…a lot of people could've been killed, or wrongly accused and prosecuted. It…I don't know…I wish I hadn't hurt Ran and I don't like having been shrunk, but…I guess it could be worse." He muttered, but his voice sounded bleak and disbelieving.

"It could've been worse, huh? How?" Kid's voice wasn't mocking or playful, just curious.

"It – well, I could've been killed that night, everything coulda been shot down, just like that. I'm a kid, yes, but I'm alive."

"That's certainly more than can be said about most people that have met these baddies." Kid murmured. Conan's head shot up to stare at him.

"You…you know…how?"

"Seems like they're not as thorough with some of their victims…" Kid said quietly. They remained silent for quite some time after that.

"Why?" Conan whispered finally, "Why do you do what you do? The victim…the Black Org. had something to do with the disappearance of the first Kid, didn't they? Their style…oh," The facts clicked together in his head. "I'm sorry.' He whispered solemnly. The going track record for people that ran afoul the org. having survived was _very_ low.

"Yeah," Kid sighed, "So am I." They lapsed into silence once more.

"Mouri-chan will be wondering where you are." Kid reminded. Conan nodded and rose to his feet. He began to leave before he was stopped by Kid's hand on his shoulder. "Remember, Tantei," He said, his lips ghosting across Conan's, "You can find friends in the most unexpected of places." Kid pressed his mouth to the child's forehead. "You're not alone, Tantei-kun." And with that, he vanished into the night. Conan stared at the last spot Kid had been, his hand lingering over his forehead, a ghost of a smile on his face.

**This was going to be a romance, I swear. It just…took off on its own. Stupid plunnies…**


	15. Chase

**Sorry its been so long since I've updated. I'm working on my other DC stuff, too, so they should be up sometime soon. Until then, Enjoy! **

Chase

Thieves and detectives live in two different worlds. They shouldn't intercept aside from occasional chases that end with one side victorious. That's the way it always has been and that's the way it always should be. But…what if you want to change that? What are you supposed to do then? Are you allowed to change it? Should you dare to try? But do you really have a choice? At a certain point, you just can't ignore these things…so should you act on your feelings?

Kaitou Kid flew through the night, laughing merrily with the night's target clasped between his fingers. The sparkling emerald danced in the moon's rays, casting shadows on his white gloves. He glanced down at his crowd of followers and spotted the small form winding between the many feet. His grin widened and he saluted the child, laughing even louder just to irritate the police.

Kid landed on a rooftop a ways away from the museum he'd struck and deactivated his hang glider, entering the building. Here, in one of his many hideouts, he tended to his wounds and changed into more inconspicuous clothing. When he finished, he entered the streets as a normal civilian once more. Well, as long as you didn't check his pockets, anyway.

He strolled through the town, basking in the moonlight, stopping only when he'd reached a particular street in Beika. Grinning, he slowed his pace to a stop in front of the house he was looking for.

Glancing at the door, he debated ringing the bell, but decided against it. After all, when would he ever do anything like a normal person. Instead, he leaped up to the window sill and quickly opened it. It bore a lock, but that was quickly dealt with. After all, he was a great Kaitou.

Once inside, he glanced around to see where he was before continuing on. He knew exactly where he wanted to go. And…there it was.

"Kaito?" A high pitched voice asked, turning to the doorway where the illustrious thief stood. "C'mon." The child motioned for the thief to sit beside him on the worn couch. Kid smiled and obliged, dropping down next to the boy and pulling him close.

"Nice chase today, Tantei-kun." He murmured, nibbling on Conan's ear. Conan's breath caught, but he didn't reply with anything more than a half-hearted glare.

Thieves and detectives may live in separate worlds, but, Kaito thought as the detective cuddled closer to him, maybe it wasn't so bad if their paths crossed for more than just the chase.


	16. Companionship

Companionship

I know, you know. Of course I know; how could I not? I've been with Shinichi since we were knee high. I know him better than anyone. So, of course I know. I don't say anything about it, but that doesn't mean I'm unaware. I'll let him think so because that's what he deems best, but…I know.

Sometimes it was almost like a joke. Conan went to extremes to keep me from finding out. He would use this cute little voice and act all childish, but the looks on his face when he thought I was satisfied…it was priceless!

Conan has been with me even when I thought Shinichi was gone. Because of that, I guess I just always thought he'd always stay by me; that he'd never leave. He loved me like I loved him, that's what I always thought.

But I was wrong. He's leaving. He's leaving me, drifting away. And I can't do anything. Why? Why can't I fight? Why does it have to be this way? Why do they have to take him away? It's not fair! It's not…

I love him…really, I do. I might not always act like it, but I really, really love him. Shinichi…Shinichi loved me, I know he did. But…he's not here any more. Shinichi's gone, replaced by Conan. And Conan…Conan doesn't love me…not as more than his Neechan.

But you know? Even if they take Conan away from me…Shinichi, Shinichi will always be mine. Now, if only that could amount to more than memories…maybe…maybe then it wouldn't be so damn lonely.

--

**Wow, a little more angsty than I originally planned and a lot shorter than I'd hoped, but hey! This one was about Ran, even though I really don't like her. She's not an idiot and she would definitely know Shinichi…Anyway, hope you liked it!**


	17. Family Care

Family Care

Kid always made things confusing. Maybe that was why he hated him so much. He was a criminal, but he made it painfully obvious that he wasn't the 'bad guy'. Why? Why couldn't he have just been your stereotypical thief? That would've made things so much easier. Not as fun, but much easier.

Nakamori Ginzo sighed, gazing out the window from his hospital bed. The last heist had been a nightmare. Some random murderer had decided to use the Kid heist as a cover to commit his crime, so they'd had to deal with Kid, the corpse, the murderer, the suspects, and the hysteric crowd. The last one was the worst. And to top it off, Kid _still_ got away with the target! All in all, it was a night that pushed the poor Keibu's nerves to a limit.

And after breaking his leg chasing after the criminal, his daughter had banned him from work! How could she be so cruel? Didn't she understand that he had to catch that #&! Kid!?

A quiet whisper from the window brought his eyes back upon it and his mind back from wonderland. Nakamori groaned. "Can't you leave the irritation to work hours?" He asked meekly.

Kaitou Kid grinned. "I would've, but I heard your daughter locked you up here." Nakamori had some choice words to say to that, but Kid ignored them. "So, I figured I should come and send my regards." Nakamori's extensive vocabulary was put to use once more, making Kid's grin grow wider. "Now, now, Keibu," He purred, "We wouldn't want to upset your nerves again, now would we?"

Ginzo glared. "What do you want, Kid?" He ground out.

Kid's smile softened and he darted forward to the edge of his bed. "You should be more careful, Keibu. You almost didn't make it." Kid leaned forward and pressed a light kiss to his forehead. "There are enough people in this world without fathers. Don't make your daughter one of them." He said gently.

And in the blink of an eye, he was gone. Nakamori Ginzo stared at the window for a long time before his mind fully grasped what had happened.

"You said it, Kid. You said it." He murmured, silently vowing to spend more time with Aoko now that he had time off.


	18. Family and Friends

Family and Friends

Kudo Yukiko smiled softly, pouring over old photo albums. There were so many memories that had passed away from her mind that she could now remember. So many…

She stopped at a picture of herself, Sharon Vineyard, and Kuroba Toichi, taken when she was much younger. All of them were smiling, so very pleased to be with their friends and just happy with life in general.

Next to it was a picture of her wedding. She looked stunning, a vision in white, while Yusaku stood next to her, delighted smile upon his face.

There was also a picture of Toichi-sensei's wedding. He'd dressed in white, something that always made her laugh. Even on his most important day, he'd still insisted upon his image as a magician. His bride hadn't minded – she'd worn a dark green gown to add to the contrast. Both looked overjoyed with the events thus far.

Next was one of Yukiko's favorite pictures. It showed two little boys looking almost identical save for the messy hair on one of them. They held each other close, the one with sparkling blue eyes hugging the other to him. The violet-eyed boy didn't seem to mind; instead his smile seemed ready to break his face and he flashed a victory sign at the camera.

The last picture on the page was one of a large group of people. Toichi and his wife were standing on the left side with Sharon standing next to them. Yusaku and Yukiko stood beside Sharon, arms around each other. Konosuke Jii and Agasa Hiroshi stood on each end of the picture, next to their respective good friends. (i.e. Jii next to Toichi and Agasa next to Yusaku.) In the front, two toddlers were kneeling on the floor, hands clasped and entwined.

Kuroba Kaito and Kudo Shinichi stood together, surrounded by their family and friends.

--

Years later, the two boys met once more, the memories of old having long passed from their minds. The two boys stared at each other, noting the remarkable similarities and shared a private grin.


	19. Compromise

Compromise

She was tired. She was tired of chasing a dream that would never be hers. Oh, she knew. She knew he couldn't be hers…but that didn't make it any easier. She wanted him because he was the one thing she couldn't have. If he were to love her…she would no longer be interested in him, would she?

Perhaps that's how she was, doomed to be alone. Anything she could have, she didn't want. Everything she wanted, she couldn't have.

It was…lonely. Chasing things, but never reaching them…it had to stop. She had to compromise somewhere and now seemed as good a time as ever. If she compromised, she wouldn't have to be alone anymore.

But…what if it wasn't what she wanted? Would she be able to compromise again or would she be left to deal with it on her own. Which would it be? Did she have a chance to be happy?

"Akako-chan!" A feminine voice called, jarring her out of her thoughts. She looked up to see people standing around her, waiting. Waiting…waiting for her?

"C'mon, Akako-chan." Nakamori Aoko smiled. Kuroba Kaito and Hakuba Saguru stood beside her, exchanging barbs. "Let's all go for ice cream or something."

Akako stared at her, wide-eyed. Slowly, her eyes shrank back to their normal size and a smile lit on her face. "I–yes…thank you." Aoko squealed in glee and locked their arms together.

"Let's go!"

--

**I was going through these, debating what I could write next and realized Akako hadn't received the spotlight yet, so I decided it was her turn.**

**If you have any suggestions about anything you want written, feel free to tell me and I'll see what I can do.**


	20. Out of Body Experience

Out of Body Experience

Well this…wasn't quite what he'd expected. Well, he hadn't really been sure _what_ to expect, but…this wasn't it.

He felt like he was floating…falling, almost, but never reaching the ground. It was a bizarre feeling. His gut was twisting every which way, but…why? What had gone wrong?

He'd been at a heist, everything going according to plan. Nothing was strange, nothing unusual. So why? What had gone wrong?

He'd flown off the rooftop, gem clasped in his hand, laughing at the two detectives standing below. Tantei-san and Tantei-kun had worked together, attempting to trap him, but, as always, they were unsuccessful. Actually, it almost seemed Hakuba had held Tantei-kun _back_. Usually, Tantei-kun would foil him enough to recover the jewel, but not to night. Not that he was complaining.

Suddenly, he'd felt pain in his chest, something warm spilling over his torso. He saw the detectives in his peripheral vision and they looked horrified. Next, he just…fell, lifeless, the gem dropping from his slack hands.

Kaito sighed. Being dead kinda sucked. But it was weird; shouldn't he have gone somewhere or something? Instead he was trapped, pinned to his body. He hated feeling closed in.

Screams, shouts, yells, sobs…they were deafening. And Aoko – oh gods, _Aoko_ – he was hurting her. He'd never meant to hurt her.

His eyes drifted to the shadowed figure, hiding on the outskirts of the crowd. Aoko wasn't the only one he'd hurt…

Kaito attempted to rise, to go to him, but…he was stuck, connected to his body. 'Dammit, let me go!' He screamed to himself. 'Isn't it bad enough that I had to die!?'

He sank onto the ground, sitting in his own blood. "Please…let me go to him." He whispered. Something wet traveled down his cheek, but it wasn't tears. He reached up and brought back blood. How ironic. He's finally ably to weep and they're tears of blood.

The swarm of cops around him began to disperse. He could see Nakamori-keibu yelling something incoherent. Next to him, Aoko leaned against Hakuba, tears pouring down her face.

A plump man in orange arrived and approached Kid's body. Kaito recognized him as Megure-keibu from division one and sighed. This wouldn't be pretty. He wondered if his murder would ever be solved. It was probably Snake and his lot, but the crows were known for their discretion…or NOT known, I guess.

Tantei-kun could probably figure it out, but that would only put him in danger. Still…he didn't was to die a nameless death. That wasn't fair! At least in death, he should receive a _little_ relief.

Making up his mind, he attempted to get up once more. He made it to his knees before toppling over onto the bloodied corpse. He scrambled away, vaguely disgusted when his arm went through Kid's body.

"Oh…holy crap." He muttered. He placed a land on Kid's leg and watched as it went straight to the ground. "Freaky. So…if I go through bodies, how come I don't go through the ground?" He wondered.

Calming himself, he looked around again, searching for Tantei-kun. 'He's not there.' Panicky thoughts roved his mind until a pressure fell on his shoulders. He jumped, wildly spinning around. "I thought everything went through me!" He yelped, staring at the small boy whose hand was resting on Kaito's shoulder.

He smiled wryly, but said nothing. Kaito looked around and noticed Hakuba looking at Conan oddly. He could see the blonde's mouth moving. But he couldn't hear anything. Why? Why couldn't he hear anyone? He could hear noise, but nothing registered in his brain.

"I'm fine, Hakuba-niichan." Conan's voice said sadly. "I just thought I saw something." Conan walked off, towards Hakuba and spoke again, but Kaito couldn't hear anything anymore. Did that mean he could only hear someone if they were touching him? But what if they went through him?

Conan turned to him and smiled, beckoning discreetly. Kaito followed, noting with a start that he no longer seemed connected to Kid's body. Conan led down multiple streets, not coming to a stop until he stood outside 2-22 Beika Cho. He casually walked inside, calling out to the owner that he was home.

"Shinichi-kun? I–oh, you've brought a friend. I'm Agasa Hiroshi. Pleasure to meet you, Kaitou Kid." Kaito's eyes bugged out as the old man politely bowed to him, grasping his hand. Wasn't he supposed to be a ghost? Speaking of which, how had Conan been able to see him? And touch him? He went through everything else…and yet he somehow stayed rooted to the floor. He was never going to understand that one.

"My family's been able to see ghosts for ages. Why do you think we deal with murders? The spirits need released, usually through the solving of their death." Tantei-kun explained calmly. "Hakase's sort of our…retainer, I guess." Seeing Kaito's blank look, he added, "You can think of us as…cleansers. We free ghosts from their hold to the Earth and let them pass on."

"Wait…does that mean you can use the _victim_ to solve their own murder?" He asked, skeptically.

"Not really." Conan said. "Most ghosts are pretty out of it, so they aren't much help. Besides, if you're going to condemn someone, you need evidence that will hold up in court."

"Right…so…I'm dead, you've apparently just released me from my body…what now?"

"You can move from your body, but you're not yet free of it. Actually, its more like the connection was transferred to me, rather than actually released. Your death still needs solved."

"Heh, good luck. These guys don't like to get caught." Kaito laughed sardonically. "You're an excellent detective, Tantei-kun, but if you have to expose my murder to the world, you'll only end up murdered yourself."

"So you _are_ being gunned for by trench coats in black." Conan nodded. "Thought so. But you're right, they won't be easily exposed. That means…well, you'll prolly be stuck here until they are." Tantei-kun smirked. Kaito looked affronted.

"You mean I'll be stuck to _you_ until you take 'em out!?"

"Yup." Conan grinned innocently up at him. Kaito groaned.

--

**Heya! In case you haven't noticed, I've been trying to update everyday. I dunno how long it'll last, but I'll keep trying.**

**This chappie may later be turned into a longer fic since I like the idea behind it, but first I gotta find time to work on it…**


	21. Relief

Relief

Kisaki Eri sighed, sinking into the chair behind her desk. She loved her job, really, she did, but…some days were just plain terrible. She'd been working so hard to get the evidence against that man, pulling all-nighters and stressing herself until there were evident bags under her eyes, and for what? The _day_ before the case was to go to trial, her client _dropped the charges_! After all the work she'd done! Who the hell did that bastard think he was that he could just _use_ her to do the legwork _and then drop it_!? Well, of course, he was her client and she was prohibited from smashing his skull in, no matter how tempting it was.

Dammit, now was a time when she could really use some comforting. But no, all her outlets were unavailable. Ran was out with her surrogate little brother, her colleagues were all busy with there own cases, her secretary was out for the week, and Kogoro…there was no way in hell she'd go crawling back to that flirt!

She ground her teeth. Just _thinking_ about that man made her upset. He was just so, so…so _him_! He didn't understand women _at all_, but he was perfectly willing to go to all the dime store sluts in the area. _They_ didn't have to worry about him cheating on them. _He _didn't understand that all he did was make her worry.

She sighed, pulling open a drawer and pulling out a picture of the two of them, back when they were dating in high school. Things had been so easy back then, so carefree. She wished she could go back, sometimes…back to when the two of them could just be together without any problems, happy and in love. Then she always realized that going back would mean giving up everything she had accomplished. The Queen of the Courtroom did not take her reputation for granted. She loved her work, even with a day like today had been. But…if she _did_ go back, could she not work her way back up again?

Eri shook her head. There was no point in contemplating the "what if's." It made no difference now and that was that. Still, she couldn't help but wish…

The phone rang, making her jump. She quickly picked up the receiver and said in as calm a voice as she could manage after her trying day, "Hello, Kisaki Eri law firm. Can I help you?" She said the words evenly, glad her voice didn't shake, even as she cursed her secretary for taking _this _week off. Not that it really mattered which week she took off; Eri would be left to man the phone all the same. But she was in a mood to rage and she needed someone to vent on that couldn't take offense. Namely, someone who wasn't there.

"Eri?" A slightly drunken voice asked.

Said women's eyes flew wide. "Ko-Kogoro! W-Was there something you needed?"

"Ah–I…well, I heard you lost your case…" He mumbled, barely audible.

"What? Who'd you hear that from?" As far as she was aware, news of the case hadn't been public, so how…

"Well…the man you were against…he came to the office."

"What!?" Eri yelled.

"Yeah, seems _he_ wants to file charges against your ex-client now…"

"So why'd he go to a detective?"

"…"

"Anata?"

"Um, not sure. He sorta passed out before we got to that part." Kogoro muttered.

Eri groaned, placing her head in her hands. This was going to be a _really­ _long day. Still, she couldn't stop the smile that spread across her face as her husband tried to explain in incoherent sentences. She may not be willing to throw away her pride and go back to him, but he still managed to be there for her when she really needed him.


	22. Emptiness

Emptiness

Agasa Hiroshi slowly surveyed his large house, taking in the emptiness of it. It felt so…lonely…without her here. Agasa sighed sadly. He missed her. She'd hardly been gone a day, but he missed her so much. She was like the grandchild he'd never had, and at the same time, it was almost like _she_ was the guardian around here. She'd always watch over him, keep him safe and on track. It was irritating at times, but he knew she always meant well. And besides, she was always right. Oh, how he missed her. It just wasn't the same without her around.

He heard crashing and wailing from the doorway and knew the kids had arrived. They'd heard about Ai-kun, then. Agasa let out another sigh and squared his shoulders. He'd needed to be strong for the children now. They didn't know how to handle grief. He, on the other hand, could mourn later. Surely he could keep up a good act for at least a few hours while he comforted the kids…right? Besides, they filled up a little of the emptiness he'd been feeling.

He walked into the main hall and greeted them with a weak smile, offering them the comfort of normality when he set food and drink in front of them. They looked appreciatively up at him with watery eyes, but even Genta-kun didn't dive into the food like normal. They were all too hurt at the loss of their friends, they needed time to recover. Oh, the poor children. This had to be so hard on them. They'd never experienced anything like this before. At least Agasa knew what really happened. All these children knew was whatever excuse one had given to help the young ones through this ordeal.

It was funny, he reflected, how much more out of life he'd gotten ever since Shinichi had shrunk. What had he had before? Sure, Shinichi-kun and Ran-kun had come to visit him often enough, but they were getting to the age where they wanted independence, not another parent figure. And then, when Conan had come…he'd _needed_ Agasa, truly needed him, which made him feel so wonderful inside. He'd always liked children and he'd grown fond of Shinichi-kun in the boy's years of growing up. After all, he'd seen quite a bit of him, what with his friendship with Yusaku. He hadn't met Ran until later, When Yukiko-chan brought along her old friend and her daughter. He was still fond of her, of course, but…it wasn't the same. Maybe because Ran had never really connected with him like Shinichi had. To Shinichi, he was sort of like a Doctor Watson to his Sherlock Holmes. And after Conan came along, even more so. He was the one who created all the strange gadgets that helped him live and his one outlet for his old life. His parents knew, yes, but they weren't there like Agasa always was.

When Ai came along, he was actually kind of jealous. With her around, it meant that Shinichi-kun would have somewhere else to go for comfort, someone who could understand him better. He was glad that Shinichi could find that companionship, but it left him feeling a little…useless.

It didn't take him long to realize how foolish that train of thought was, though. Ai was a wonderful child and she easily consented to staying with him. Shinichi still came to him and it even led the other children to him. He became a more active part of their lives, almost like one of them. Sure, he was still the (sort of) responsible one, but the kids liked him and he wasn't as strict about watching them as Ran-kun was because he _knew_. He knew that Shinichi-kun and Ai-kun would do whatever they could to keep the others safe. So he didn't need to worry. He still did, of course, but the relief of not _needing_ to made it easier for him to look after them than it was for Ran-kun. Besides, when he was with them, Shinichi-kun and Ai-kun would often go to him for opinions and be themselves around him. With Ran-kun, they had to hide. But when they were with Agasa and the kids, they didn't hide, not really. They were more themselves with this group than they were with anyone else, simply because they could afford to be. He knew and the kids were innocent enough that they didn't think much of it. They thought that the two of them were extraordinarily smart, but nothing more.

When the kids left, a few hours later, Agasa knew they were feeling better. They weren't _happy_, not yet, but they were much more cheerful and were acting more like they did before. Agasa smiled, but it quickly fell from his face. The emptiness was coming back now that the children were gone. There was nothing to fill it, it just kept creeping in, becoming denser and suffocating. It _hurt_. His housemate, his _family_ was gone…he wanted her back. She was his granddaughter and he wanted her back, safe and sound. Didn't he deserve that much?

There was a knock on his door and he hesitantly went to answer it. He slowly pulled open the door to see a beautiful young woman with a small smile on her face standing next to a handsome young man with a huge grin upon his face. "Sh-Shinichi-kun?" He asked timidly, staring at the young man. "_Ai-kun_!?" He gaped.

"Yo, Hakase." Shinichi greeted. "Would you mind if we came in?"

Agasa nodded numbly and opened the door further.

"I'm sorry to have worried you, Hakase." The women said quietly.

Agasa smiled. "I hope you two have a good explanation prepared."

They laughed. "Of course."


	23. Identity

Identity

Conan's life was created in a moment of need, his name spawning from a split-second decision of a panicked man. His records popped up a few weeks later when they were needed, and, finally, his "parents" showed up. But even that was only for a means to bring him to America, even if he refused. Was there anything about Conan that wasn't just created when he needed to avoid suspicion?

Shinichi found himself pondering as he traveled the journey from the Mouri place to Agasa's. Haibara had called him, asking him to come. She said she had a possible cure…

The cure…it seemed like Conan's existence was lived in mere expectance of the cure. But now…now that it was finally a possibility…he was scared. He didn't know what to do. Should he take it? Of course, it would mean getting his old life back, getting _Ran_ back, but…well, he _had_ Ran now, even if she was only a sister. But hadn't she always been, really? And besides, time was passing. Ran wouldn't wait forever. _He_ couldn't wait forever either. It wasn't that he didn't _want_ to, he loved Ran, but…only as a sister. And as a sister, the only real way he could have her was as Conan. Shinichi was someone she at least thought she loved, so she'd hardly be his sister in that form until she got over him.

And since that was the case, what was the point in becoming Shinichi again? He'd put everyone in danger and really…what did he have to go back to? Ran was the only one anticipating his return. Everyone else…Shinichi was as good as dead to the rest of the world. _Conan_ was the one people looked to now. Or rather, whomever he'd chosen to use was the one people went to.

With all that, should Shinichi really come back? If he did, he'd lose everything he'd gained as Conan. Was he willing to do that? Was he willing to lose the few friends he had? And for what?

Edogawa Conan paused on the doorstep of Agasa's house. The door opened to show Ai waiting for him.

"I don't know if this will work, Kudo-kun, but its as close to a cure as I've ever gotten." She said, holding a small pill in her hand.

Conan opened his mouth, wordless, mind going blank. "I…" He stared at the innocent looking pill sitting in her pale hand. He wanted this…didn't he? He slowly reached out, hand shaking. He stopped, his hand hovering over hers.

"Kudo-kun?" She asked, her tone confused.

He withdrew his hand. "I don't want it." He whispered. "I–I'm going to stay as Conan. I'm going to _become_ Conan." Yes, because Conan was more than a mask now. Conan was something he needed to become because he couldn't fool himself anymore. Kudo Shinichi no longer existed. But he, Edogawa Conan…he still had a whole life ahead of him. _That_ was who he was now.


	24. Normalcy

Normalcy

He sighed slowly, watching the two "special" ones go their own way. He didn't know why, but they were _special_, more special than all the others. To him, it didn't matter why. They still let him be with them and they were willing to listen to him and they always took care of the Shonen Tantei, even if it meant getting hurt in the process.

Genta was glad he knew them, even if they were different. Or maybe _because _they were different, he liked them even more. He could sympathize, after all. They weren't like him, but they weren't like the others either. They were even special-er than he was!

It was hard, being different, but they never seemed to get down. He respected them for that. He knew from experience how hard it was, but…well, he wasn't going to give up either! No way was he letting Conan outdo him there, too!

He may not have been as good a detective, but Conan never picked on him for it. He was always trying to keep them safe and let them learn at the same time. He wasn't one of those silly adults that went on about innocence. The Shonen Tantei didn't need to be innocent, they were good!

Kojima Genta grinned at nothing in particular as he unlatched the door to his house and entered, shedding his human guise as he went. Left in his place, gazing up at his mother with a smile, was a small kitsune kit.


	25. Handcuffs

**AN: Since someone asked, a kitsune is Japanese for fox. They were generally seen as having some sort of magical gift in mythology, I believe. If you're really confused, Wikipedia might have a page on them.**

**Many thanks for all the wonderful reviews.**

Handcuffs

Three detectives and a thief lazed around, sitting under a tree in the park. Conversation had jumped from topic to topic until Heiji had brought up the idea of custom handcuffs.

"I'd bet Kudo has fuzzy pink handcuffs," Kaito teased the miniature tantei.

Said detective scowled. "I could see Hattori using those ribbons he's always stealing from Toyama instead of cuffs."

"Hey!" The Osakan boy turned bright read. "Well, Hakuba would have…how can you make handcuffs British?"

"Idiot." The blonde sniffed. "What about Kuroba?" They all turned to him, contemplating different ideas.

"Hey! I try too stay _away_ from handcuffs! Why would I own any?"

"Hnn, he has a point." Hattori conceded. With that said, he moved onto a new topic. Still, Conan sent a few glares Kaito's way.

Later on, when Hattori and Hakuba had launched into their own battle of wits, Kuroba hung back, a smile on his face.

A hand swung up and fingers wrapped around his collar, jerking him down to Conan's level.

"My handcuffs are _not_ pink." He hissed.

Kaito shrugged. "Pink, green, same thing. They're still fuzzy."

Kudo turned bright red. "Those were Mom's!"

"Yeah, whatever." Kaito darted forward and planted a chaste kiss on Shinichi's lips.

--

Uses of Handcuffs

"Ah!" The usually stoic blonde detective jerked sharply, failing to stifle a gasp as a hand ran over his body. "Hattori…release my hands, dammit." He cursed.

The dark-skinned man sitting over him smirked, gaze traveling up to the handcuffs restraining Hakuba's hands above his head. "Who would've thought _you'd_ be the one to own fuzzy pink handcuffs.

"Shaddup." Saguru hissed, slumping back in defeat.


	26. Limits

Limits

Conan was scared. Well, truly, he was always scared; scared of being found out, of being killed, of being hurt, of…of not making it, of messing up, of accusing the wrong man. It was a terrifying gravity that was weighing against him, but that wasn't his worry right now.

No, right now he was more worried about the fact that it wouldn't take much more for him to snap. He was hanging on by a thread as it was. And when he finally snapped…it would be terrifying.

He knew he could be harsh when he was irritated. He also knew it would be worse if someone angered him. But even that, he suspected, would be nothing compared to what he'd be like when that string broke.

It really was terrifying, mainly because he didn't know what he might do. If provoked, he could be capable of anything. And that thought scared him more than even being found by the Organization that did this to him.

If he broke his limits, if he abandoned his morals in order to survive…he'd be no better than them. And that was something he wouldn't stand for.

Still, it's not like the string holding him together was without strength. It had held on this long, after all. And with the help of those around him, those that _knew_…well, maybe he could push those limits just a little in order to hang on.


	27. Wrong Man

Wrong Man

She always watched. That's what she was, a watcher. No one ever suspected. After all, she was too talkative. But she did, always. Especially when it concerned her dearest friend. That brat may have left her, but she never would. She'd be beside her no matter what.

Even now, when her friend was sobbing into her shoulder, using everything in her vocabulary to insult that brat, she was still watching. Why couldn't that brat understand? Her friend was the specialist girl in the world…so why wasn't _he_ the one comforting her?

"Shh, its okay." She whispered in her friend's ear. "What happened?"

"Th-that bastard! Three years! I waited _three years_ for him! And for what? He left me! For all his promises, he left me!" She sobbed, becoming incoherent.

Suzuki Sonoko growled. How dare he! How dare that stupid brat do this to Ran! Oooh, when he came back, she'd get him but good. But that was later. For now, all she could do was comfort her precious friend was hurting and she'd do all she could to help.

But when later came, that stupid Kudo was _so_ screwed!

--

Edogawa Conan sneezed violently, trying to ignore the tingling feeling the coursed up his spine. It felt distinctly…dangerous. He glanced around, discreetly looking for black trench coats. Nope, no sign of them. So…why was he suddenly scared for his life?

"Kudo-kun?" Haibara Ai asked softly. "Something wrong?"

"Ah, no, I…" Nothing was wrong…right? "I'm fine." He squeaked. She looked at him funny for a moment, but shrugged and turned away.

--

Miles away, Kaito had the odd feeling someone was talking about him. Maybe they were praising his ingenuity? Nah, had to be his good looks.

"Hey, Kaito, thanks for taking me to Beika yesterday. I had a lot of fun." Aoko smiled at him and he grinned back.

Ah, who cares? Even if it _was_ his good looks, he was taken.

--

**Hope this made sense to everyone. Basically, Ran saw Kaito with Aoko, thought he was Shinichi on a date, and figured she got jilted.**


	28. Dedication

Dedication

You know why Nakamori never allowed detectives on his heist willingly? Well, its actually quite complicated. For one, it was dangerous. Kid had a non-violence policy, but it appeared the new entrants in the game didn't, nor did they care who got caught in the crossfire. As such, children really shouldn't be allowed, even if they were highly capable of taking care of themselves.

But, no, he _knew_ the detectives would keep themselves safe. In truth, that was nothing more than an excuse. Just like his no-strangers policy. He really didn't care if an outside party wanted to get embarrassed by Kid. If they wanted to throw their humility away, that was up to them. As long as they understood just who was in charge, that is. But still…he never allowed it….willingly, anyway. And he had a stubborn streak the size of Russia.

No, he really didn't care if other people got involved. His job as a cop was to catch the lawbreakers, right? But…what if you don't _want_ to catch them? Don't get him wrong, he wanted nothing more than to throw that white-clad ass behind bars…for a little while, anyway. That was all he could afford, really. If Kaito missed more than a few days of school, certain meddling detectives would be even more suspicious. But they wouldn't know, not for sure. Because Ginzo was positive that, no matter how hard they tried (which may not actually be that hard), they'd never be able to properly unmask Kid.

And he was fine with that. Hell, he _wanted_ it that way. Because as long as there was no proof, he'd never have to go after Kaito. And that was something he never wanted to do.

Oh, he knew that this Kid wasn't the same as before. Most of the taskforce did, actually. None of the rookies of course, they wouldn't understand, but all the old veterans…well, how could they not?

They loved Kid. It was odd, but that was really the way it was. You couldn't _not_ love Kid, he was just to good for that. They loved the new Kid, too. But the old one…they'd had a connection to him, aside from knowing his name. Because they'd _worked_ with him, on more than just the chase. Toichi had been their informant on the outside of the law. Which was kind of funny, because he was actually cleaner than most of the informants on the _right_ side of the law.

No one ever knew. No one ever even suspected. Why would they? What sort of cop would work together with an enemy who took great pleasure in creating the most embarrassing moments of your life, right in front of a hoard of witnesses, too? But they didn't mind. Oh, they cursed him something good, but really, when all was over and done, what's a little laugh among friends? And actually, _because_ they were so used to getting embarrassed and witnessing strange things…it actually turned them into some of the best cops in the precinct. They had practically no egos because they couldn't afford any. Kid would cut down on anyone growing cocky, but he wouldn't allow them to be under-confident, either. He was truly their friend.

It was obvious this new Kid was someone else, even if they hadn't known about Toichi's death. For one, there was the aging factor. It had been eight years, but the new Kid came out looking _younger_. Now he'd heard some kooky stories involving a so-called spring of life, especially from Division 1, but…well, Kid may have been searching for immortality, but certainly not for himself. Who would _want_ to live forever, anyway?

Well, whomever Toichi was running from, obviously, but…well, they really seemed to pretty much be the stereotypical bad guy, so what could you do?

Yes, the taskforce wanted to catch Kid, but they certainly didn't want to keep him. He'd drive them nuts for one. And for two, if the Kid were taken out of play…they'd lose something all of them had come to love even more than the chase – and believe me, that was high on their list. They'd lose their _friend_, someone who respected them and had fun with them, laughed and joked with them, cried and mourned with them. Kid was special to them because he was one of them, but he always managed to avoid being tied down. He was something to strive for, that free bird, soaring through the skies. And he was theirs. They were his taskforce and he was their target. That would never change. And they didn't want to. So, no…outsiders simply couldn't be allowed. It was too late for them to enter the game and _really_ understand just what it means.


	29. Work

**Hey, everyone. I'm glad to all those who are keeping up with this fic, and I really am trying to update the other ones. It's going slow, but I'm working on it, I promise.**

Work

A tall man with bright brown eyes sighed wearily, gazing blindly at the TV propped on the other side of the bar. How dare that fool make him wait! If his contact didn't get here soon, he most certainly would not be leaving!

"Ah, sir…" A meek little man started nervously. The other man turned, his glare weighing heavily upon the newcomer.

"You're late." He observed.

"U-um, y-yes…"

"Never mind. What have you got?" The man demanded shortly. The short one nodded quickly and pulled an envelope out of his jacket pocket, sliding it over to his companion. The man took it an briefly looked over its contents. "Very good. Why don't I buy you a drink?"

The little man lit up. "R-really? Um, please."

The taller man waved the bartender over and ordered a shot for the other. The barman nodded, scurrying to fulfill the request. He slid the glass to the small man and moved quickly away.

"W-wow. You've really got that man trained, s-sir." He took the glass and quickly emptied its contents into his stomach. He set the shot glass down and turned with a smile to the tall man, until his body convulsed and he jerked forward. With a shuddering gasp, he gazed up at his companion, whom hadn't even spared him the slightest glance.

"You don't make me wait," He said, while the other man jerked and died next to him. He waved his hand and the bar's employees hurried to dispose of the body.

"My, my, Chris, such a bad habit you've picked up. Spending so much time in bar is indecent for such pleasant women." A man said from behind. The one sitting at the bar turned and nodded his head.

"Whatever you say…Boss." He murmured. He followed when the Boss beckoned him into a separate room. When seated, he reached under his neck and pulled off the disguise, letting her long blonde hair hang free. She popped out her contacts and tossed them aside.

"Was there something you needed, Boss?" She asked politely. It wouldn't do to insult those who favored her, after all.

"We need you to find the traitor, Sherry. If possible, find out how she escaped, but just make sure se can't do it again."

"Me? I thought you had Gin on that job. He was so fond of her, after all." She smirked.

"Gin is an excellent assassin, but he puts to much effort into torturing the girl and gives her an opportunity to escape. That is unacceptable."

"Of course." Vermouth, otherwise known as Chris Vineyard, previously Sharon Vineyard, rose from the table and exited the bar. If her suspicions about Yukiko-chan's son were true, she knew just where to find the traitor.


	30. Consequences

Consequences

Conan slammed open the door to the Kudo Mansion. Stomping into the library, he flung his oversized glasses from his face and collapsed on the couch, dry sobs racking his body. With each movement, he winced, and with each wince, he moved once more. It seemed like a never ending cycle of pain.

It was eased slightly when a firm heat wrapped around him, holding him still and keeping him from jerking violently.

At some point, Conan had turned and sobbed into the other person's chest. He wasn't sure who they were right now. The only thing his mind could process was that they clearly didn't have a female bosom. His silk clothing was soft against his face and helped sooth the swelling.

"What happened?" A soft voice asked when he'd mostly stopped shaking.

A dry, sardonic laugh answered him. "I blew it." Conan whispered. "Ran was…understandably upset."

"Understandably? Your whole face is bruised, not to mention your ribs." The voice answered. "You were in pain every time you shifted." He explained.

"I lied to her…for so long. I can't blame her for being hurt. And–" Conan suddenly blinked up at him, mind finally coming to speed. "Kid!?" He yelped.

"The one and only." The white-clad man grinned.

"But–" Conan's hand drifted up to the thief's face. "What happened? Where's your monocle?" Conan's hand lingered over the messy bandaging on the right side of Kid's face.

Kid smiled emptily and held up the clover-charmed disguise. The glass was cracked and badly distorted around the edges and gone in the center, the glass splintered. "I took a bullet the wrong way." He shrugged.

"But – your eye. The bullet couldn't have gone through – you'd be dead!"

"No, no." Kid laughed hollowly. "The glass inside the monocle is thick enough to have saved me. The bullet grazed my eye, nothing more."

"Nothing more!? Just that is bad enough!"

Kaito chuckled. "The consequences I pay, Tantei-kun."

"Yeah, but…"

"We all pay a price, Tantei-kun. Sometimes its graver than others, but its equally to what we set out to do. Besides, look at the bright side. If she found out, you don't have to lie to her anymore."

"True, but at what cost?" Conan groaned. "I don't blame Ran for being mad, but I wasn't even able to tell her the whole story before she launched herself at me. I just…I wish I could've told her the complete truth."

"Yes, believe me, I know." Kid sighed solemnly.

"But your right." Conan said slowly. "No matter what we do, we always have to live up to the consequences of our actions. Just wish…it coulda been different."

"We all do at some time or another, Tantei-kun. We all do."


	31. Confessions

Confessions

When the letter arrived at the police station, the officers weren't sure exactly what to do. Dutifully, they brought it to the inspector, worrying the whole time at the distress that had appeared on his face when he saw the letter.

* * *

_Keibu,_

_I'm sorry for the deception, but I found that it was necessary. Conan and I told you that I was out of the country, investigating a case. Well, I certainly investigated, but I never left. I wish I could've admitted it from the beginning, but…_

_It started the day I solved a murder on the mystery coaster at Tropical Land. Two of the suspects caught my attention and, when Ran and I were leaving later, I saw one of them sneaking off. I followed him to an area under a bridge where he was blackmailing some business bigwig. I took pictures, but I wasn't paying attention when the guy's partner snuck up behind me. He hit me over the head with some sort of lead pipe and force-fed me poison. Only it didn't work; I got lucky._

_Instead of killing me, the poison _shrunk_ me. It sounds ridiculous, but that's how Conan came into existence._

_Over time, I found out more about the organization those guys were from. I've been working on taking it down ever since, but…_

_The only reason I've written is because the organization is farther reaching then I thought. It's dangerous, very much so, and they're responsible for a high percentage of crimes around the world._

_Watch out, Keibu. Most of your superiors are on their payroll. The rookies are easy prey for their operatives. Be careful who you trust; it could cost you and your men your lives. Believe me, I know._

_-Kudo Shinichi_

_P.S. Thank you for assisting me when I solved a case as myself._

* * *

Megure-keibu's eyes were wide by the time he finished reading.

"Keibu-san," Takagi called. "There was a body found at Tropical Land. It was Conan-kun." He whispered.


	32. Silence

Silence

He was a fool, that's what he was. How could he not have seen? It was so obviously plain. But then, maybe that was why. He'd never wanted to see it, but he knew he must've known. How could he not?

Master of subtlety the boy was not. He tries his best and he was good at acting when needed, but no one could keep up an act all the time. And when he got involved in a case…he was totally concentrated and usually forgot to do his act.

It wasn't hard to believe that he'd simply talked himself out of the idea. After all, people shrinking is just plain ridiculous. But still, there was no other explanation. He didn't understand it and, truthfully, he wasn't sure if he _wanted_ to understand, but for now he'd keep quiet. It was obvious something had happened that Kudo wanted to keep under wraps, so he would say anything.

Besides, even if he did…who would believe such folly, even coming from the mouth of the faithful inspector of division one?

--

**Sorry for the shortness, but I'm sort of pressed for time and running out of creative juices. Hopefully tomorrow will be better.**


	33. Secrets

Secrets

"So, how's your hunt going, Tantei-kun?" Kid asked cheerily. He was lounging on a couch in the Kudo household, ignoring the protests Shinichi had put up. Conan was sitting in a chair to the side, answering with a noncommittal grunt. "You ever think of looking closer to home?"

Conan looked up from his book. "What do you mean?"

"That poison's been around a lot longer than you'd think."

"What are you talking about, Kid? What do you know about the poison?"

Kaito sighed. "You once said they used an untested poison on you, right?"

"Yeah, so?"

"It wasn't untested. Well, that version may have been, but the actual poison wasn't."

"What?"

"I know at least two people who survived the apotoxin well before you'd even heard of the baddies."

"Who?"

"Sharon Vineyard, for one. She faked her death and took the apotoxin. When she was shrunk, she lived as her own daughter."

"Why would someone voluntarily take a poison?"

Kaito shrugged. "That was before it was defined as a poison. Then, it was believed to give you life, but with a risk."

"How do you know this?" Conan asked. "Who's the second person?"

"Me." He said. Conan's jaw dropped. "Sharon was my adoptive mother. When she took the apotoxin, I took it as well. It worked for both of us." Kaito sighed. "I was fifteen at the time. Since I couldn't stay with Sharon anymore without looking suspicious, she asked her teacher, Kuroba Toichi, to take the five year old child in."

"So you're actually in you late twenties!?" Conan's eyes bugged. "…And you do realize you just gave me your identity."

Kaito shrugged, uncaringly. "I believe that you'd be more interested in information on your enemies than turning me in. And if that's not the case…well, I've got places I can go."

"Wait, aren't you being hunted down by the Black Org? But if you were Vermouth's 'son', wouldn't you have been involved with them?" Conan shifted back, alert and cautious, but Kaito just laughed.

"No. I knew of them and they probably knew of me – at least the ones that knew Sharon well enough – but I was never involved with them. Sharon was trusted in the Org, so they had no need for hostages. Since I wasn't involved, I wasn't really acknowledged. Sharon was expected to keep my mouth shut. If I talked, she'd get punished for it. That's how they work. It doesn't matter anymore, though. Sharon's 'son' is long dead, as is 'Sharon'."

"Oh." Shinichi said quietly. Kaito sounded sad, even with his masks up. "What about Kid?"

"Oh," Kaito chuckled. "I wasn't Kid before if that's what you think. My father was Kid, I think even before he had a 'son'. I knew that my family was associated with Kid somehow, but I didn't actually know that Dad _was_ the Kid until about a year ago. Before that, he was just a highly intelligent magician and an accomplished master of disguise." He paused. "He had another apprentice…your mother. I don't know if she realized that 'Tou-chan was childless one day and had a five year old the next. I didn't meet her until I had been there for a while, but she may have known." He mused. Conan blinked.

"Um…why do you refer to him as your father if he really isn't?" Conan questioned tentatively.

Kaito smiled. "Don't get me wrong, Tantei-kun. I may not have been a real little kid, but they raised me as such. I love my family just as I would if they were my real parents. Besides, I never knew my real parents and was originally raised by an adoptive mother, so I'm used to accepting parents for their care, not because of their blood."

"Do you know who your birth parents were?"

"No. I don't particularly care. If they're alive, then they dumped my as an infant anyway, and if they're not…well, it doesn't do much good to seek them out if they're dead."

"Ah. If you're trying to bring down the Organization, why don't you use Vermouth to help you?" Conan inquired.

"I do…sort of. She's not actively working to take them down, but she's not helping them, either. If I'm in trouble, she helps me, but otherwise, she remains pretty neutral. Which is better, really. If the baddies pinned her a traitor, they'd torture her relentlessly." He glanced at Conan, a sad smile on his face. "She's not a good person, Tantei-kun, but I still love her. Regardless of what she does, she still raised me and cared for me, so…I'm not going to condemn her if I can help it. I don't want my mother to suffer."

"Understandable." Conan nodded. "But why are you telling me all of this?"

"I don't know. Maybe it feels good just to get it off my chest. But you could probably use the information anyway. The baddies are hard to track down. I'm doing it slowly, by my own means, but you…you don't even have anywhere to start. It's only fair if we're on even footing, after all."

Shinichi grinned. "Thanks…Kuroba."

--

**The beginning seems kind of abrupt, but oh well. It's an interesting idea, isn't it?**


	34. Metro Sexual

Metro sexual

"Hey, Haibara…" Conan began. He was sitting in the living room at Agasa's house, the young chemist sitting on the couch next to him.

"Yes, Kudo-kun?"

"I've always wondered…why do you read about the latest fashions when none of them would fit you in your current form anyway?" He really hoped she wouldn't hit him for this or something.

"I simply like to know what the enemy is up to." She said, flipping a page on her magazine.

"Huh?"

Haibara Ai rolled her eyes and showed him her magazine. At the top of the page was an article titled _Silky Looks and How to Maintain Them_.

"'Brush your hair seventeen times a day'?" Conan read. "What does that have o do with anything?"

"Look at the author's picture, Kudo."

He did. And he fainted. And foamed at the mouth. Because the picture wasn't of some beautiful woman, or even a middle aged make-up artist. No, the subject of the picture was all too familiar to him.

With an evil grin on his face, Gin's killer eyes stared from the laminated magazine pages, his silky blonde hair hanging over his shoulder.

Haibara Ai a.k.a. Miyano Shiho a.k.a. Sherry laughed pleasantly and continued reading the article.

**Hey guys. Sorry I haven't updated the last few days. I've been busy and then my stupid security program wouldn't let me log in.**

**If you don't know what metro sexual means, its basically a straight man who's in touch with his feminie side.**


	35. Puzzled

Puzzled

It had been going on for a while, random gifts showing up in bizarre places. It had started with little puzzles, bought cheap in vending machines, then moved on to word puzzles. They had appeared every day, popping up in his backpack or his dresser, even in his futon once! It irritated him. Who the heck was leaving these things? And _why_ did he find himself having fun solving the simple puzzles?

The gifts had stopped for a few days and he found himself disappointed. Ran and the Shonen Tantei had noticed that he seemed down, but had no clue as to why. And then…when a paper was found in his shoe locker with a handwritten riddle on it, Conan totally lit up.

He noticed a certain familiarity about the riddles, but he tried to ignore it. He was enjoying the entertainment; he didn't want it to end.

Then, it appeared. Kid's heist note, scheduled for May 4, which of course had to be a coincidence, but it made it harder for Conan to ignore the nagging feeling.

The young detective snuck into the heist scene, chasing after Kid as he usually did. He burst through the door to the roof, almost running directly into the thief.

He yelped and backpedaled, but Kid held him close. "Now, now, Tantei-kun," Kid murmured, "You don't want to hurt my feelings, now do you?" He smirked. Conan shivered as the white magician's breath ghosted over his ear.

""Wh-what do you want?" Conan cursed himself as his voice shook. "Why did you send those puzzles?" He whispered.

"You're the one that's supposed to figure out the answers from the clues, Tantei-kun." Something wet trailed over the shell of his ear, causing Conan to start.

He could hear shouting and a stampede of footfalls and knew the taskforce was on its way.

Kid paid no mind. "Happy birthday, Tantei-kun." He whispered before pulling back and pressing his lips to Conan's. A few seconds later, he was gone, flying off through the night sky.

Conan stood on the rooftop, staring in shock at the fleeing figure as the police bustled around him. He noticed something laying in his hand and looked down to see a colorful cube.

--

Years later, a hopeful suitor presented the Eastern Detective with a gift. He blinked in confusion, but opened the gift, lighting up when he recognized the puzzle.

"I'm sorry." He cleared his throat. "I'm already involved with someone."

She looked up at him, teary-eyed, but wished him well with his relationship and told him to keep the gift.

That night, the detective lay, sprawled in his lover's grasp. On the nightstand next to the bed, two Rubix cubes sat, one still partially wrapped in the girl's sparkling ribbons.


	36. Anti Cliche

Anti-cliché

She didn't understand. What had changed? Why? Why didn't he love her?

She knew…she _knew_ that he'd loved her, at one point in time, at least. So…what changed?

She really couldn't understand it. Had she done something wrong? Was she too nagging? But she was just trying to take care of him. And god knows he needs it.

She'd known him forever, been with him forever, thought she'd always be with him. _Everyone_ expected them to be together. Their classmates had always taken it for granted that they'd end up married someday. And while _marriage_ was a bit of a jump, she'd taken it for granted, too.

But now…now she had to watch him with another woman. He didn't know how much he was hurting her, but it was painful, nonetheless.

She had to watch, even though it hurt her. She couldn't look away, even as he leaned down and kissed his female companion.

Finally, Hattori Heiji and his new girlfriend, Nakamori Aoko, walked off and Toyama Kazuha fell to her knees, tears pouring down her face.

**Not meant as a serious fic!! HeijiXAoko has newly become my crack pairing, but don't take it overly seriously.**


	37. Kid on Kid

**WARNING!! WRITTEN FOR LJ KINK MEME. CONTAINS YAOI AND SEXUAL REFERENCES**

Prompt: Kaito always wanted to do it with Kid. So he gets Shinichi to play the role.

Kid on Kid

Shinichi couldn't believe it. This was ridiculous! How could _Kid_ of all people want to do this. Well, actually, knowing Kid, it wasn't all that unbelievable. Still…if the guy was that desperate to do himself, where did Shinichi come in? There was no _way_ Kid was getting him into that outfit.

…or maybe there was. What choice did he have when the thief was forcibly dressing him? Then again, he wasn't resisting as much as he probably should be. Why? It's not like he _wanted_ to dress as a thief. Now the things that came with it…well, they may not be that bad, but did he really have to dress for the role? Why couldn't Kid just fuck him without the stupid top hat? And the monocle. He could do without the monocle.

His inner musings suddenly came to a halt when he felt pressure against his cock. He gasped in surprise and could hear Kid chuckle. He glared at the thief, but it did little good. The damn bastard was laughing in his face! Damn him, he'd _show_ him just what he could do with that fucking mouth.

It was Kid's turn to gasp when Shinichi – wearing the top hat and monocle that were Kid's signature, but little else – flipped the equally unclothed teenager onto his back. Pulling handcuffs out of the bedside table drawer – there were some advantages to Kid cornering you in your own house – he hurriedly locked them around the thief's wrists and the bed post.

Kid blinked at him. "You do realize I could be out of these in a second." He stated.

"Only if you wanted to." Shinichi murmured before dipping down and wrapping his mouth around Kid's interested lower half. He groaned and arched towards the detective, suddenly completely uninterested in freeing his hands. After all, he was getting what he came here to get. Although he _had_ pictured _himself_ as the dominate one. But hey, beggars can't be choosers. And, oh, if the detective could do things like _that_ with his tongue, Kid certainly wasn't complaining.


	38. Void

Void

Its funny how much people can effect you without you realizing it. You'd think that, even if something happens, it doesn't really concern you. There were a lot of us like that. But, oh, how wrong we were.

The day Kuroba-kun disappeared, it seemed like the whole world fell apart. I mean, how could Kuroba Kaito just vanish? But he did, and we've all felt the drain from it.

Everyday, the world feels so dark, everyday, it was like something was _missing_. None of us ever realized how much the magician meant to us, but he really was an integral part of our lives.

Everyone misses him, misses his pranks, his jokes, misses everything about him. But most of all, I think its his smile that left the biggest impression. Sad, angry, happy, or hurt, he'd always have that grin. That grin could really light up someone's day, even if they didn't want it to.

Kuroba Kaito really was a happy person. Oh yes, he had sorrow and pain under that mask, but those didn't matter. He wanted everyone to be happy, no matter what he was feeling. As long as the people around him were happy, he could smile. As long as he was smiling, those around him could be happy. It was an ongoing circle and, now that its broken, it _hurts_. We all loved him in our own way and we all miss him. But he's gone…just gone, right off the face of the earth. And don't think we haven't tried looking for him. We did everything, _everything_ we could, but he was nowhere to be found. Just…gone.

--

**I've posted a new story that is a continuation of Out of Body Experience under the same name if anyone's interested in reading it.**


	39. Caught

Caught

Finally, _finally_ he was getting a chance to search the Kuroba household. Hakuba was sure that he'd find evidence that the man of the household was Kid. After all, he had a group of police officers right behind him.

When Hakuba knocked on the polished door, a beautiful woman answered with a smile. "Yes, how can I help you?" She noticed Nakamori-keibu standing beside the blonde and said, "Oh, Ginzo-kun, is there something wrong?"

Nakamori cleared his throat. "Yes, I'm afraid there is. You see…at the Kid heist about an hour ago, we caught a man trying to kill the Kid." Here, Kuroba-san gasped, horrified. "He claims that Kaitou Kid is, in fact, your husband, Kuroba Toichi."

The woman looked at him sadly. "Ginzo-kun, you know Toichi died years ago. How could he–?"

Hakuba cut in here. "If I may, Miss? The Kid that is active now is clearly not the same one before his absence. There is a strong possibility that the new Kaitou Kid is your son."

Kaito's mother said nothing, but she stepped aside and motioned for them to come in. Nakamori began barking orders for them to search the premises before turning to the distraught maiden. "Hikaru-chan, where is Kaito-kun?"

"I–I don't know. He hasn't come home yet." She whispered, tears falling down her face. The inspector nodded, turning when Hakuba made a sound of startled exclamation.

"Kuroba-kun…in his room, this bottle…" He trailed off, holding the bottle up for them to see. Hikaru gasped, tears now pouring down her cheeks. The bottle was marked _Zoloft_ and, in finer print underneath, _Anti-Depressant_.

"No one can keep a mask up twenty-four seven, Hakuba." A strained voice said. The officers whipped around to see a bloodied and beat up Kuroba Kaito, fully decked out in the Kid's costume. His face was worn a tired and his monocle cracked.

"Kaito-kun?" Nakamori asked hesitantly, eyes wide.

The boy smirked mirthlessly. "Who else? Kuroba Kaito, Kaitou Kid, either one works, really."

Hakuba gaped at the apparent air of apathy coming from the boy. How could he be so indifferent? This was _not_ the Kuroba Kaito he knew.

"Kaito," His mother sobbed, "What _happened_?"

Kaito waved a hand, uncaringly. "Just some snipers. The man the police caught had friends."

Nakamori looked horrified. It was one thing to catch Kid, but to be firing at him! He knew these snipers had been around for a while, the man they had caught earlier attested to that, but it was different now that he knew for certain that it was his friend's _son_ those bullets were flying at.

"Why?" Hakuba whispered. "Why are you so unfeeling about this? You're going to be sent to _jail_."

Kaito shrugged. "Doubt it. The snipers'll kill me before we get there. Anyway, this is what happens when the drugs wear off." He laughed bitterly. "You didn't think it was easy, keeping a smile up all the time, did you?" He sauntered past the officers standing at the door and plopped down on the couch. "I'm tired. Think you could wake me up in a few hours?" He asked. Without a response, he settled down, his eyes closing and his breath slowing.

They stared at him. "Wait, Kuroba!" Hakuba moved forward and shook the magician. Kaito made no response, but when Saguru drew back his hand, his fingertips were coated in blood. Wide-eyed, he rolled the boy over, jaw dropping when he saw a bloody _hole_ where the boy's side should've been. Exit wounds were always the more damaging.

Kuroba Hikaru screamed, running to her son's side and shaking him, mumbling incoherently for him to wake up. Nakamori called for an ambulance, but when Hakuba moved his fingers to Kuroba's wrist, he found no pulse.

--

**Ouch, not quite what I was going for when I started writing this, but…**

**I know Kaito seems out of character, but that's the idea. The anti-depressant drugs were what allowed him to keep smiling and acting happy-go-lucky all the time, so when they wore off, Kaito would be sort of like an empty shell, completely unfeeling.**

**P.S. I do not own **_**Zoloft **_**nor any other anti-depressant out there. Used purely for plot purposes.**


	40. Lost

**Please read my Detective Conan AU, Truth's Sanctuary. It works on the idea that Ran would be too close for Conan to pass off as a real little kid, so he ends up with someone he knew was trustworthy, but he didn't know them very well, so there would be no danger of being found out.**

Lost

It was surprising, Shinichi reflected, the way people changed over time. They never noticed it because everyone seemed to change at the same rate, but…it was hard to ignore when he finally recovered his old life to find that he wasn't as happy about it as he'd thought he'd be.

Before Conan, Kudo Shinichi was notably the best detective in the area and he knew it. He was the savior of the police force, the modern Sherlock Holmes, and it went to his head. He could solve any case. It wasn't surprising that he was cocky. He had the right to be. He was as good as his arrogance portrayed. But…well, he really just didn't know the meaning of the word 'humility'. It was completely foreign to him. And why wouldn't it be? His parents were famous and brilliant and had never been known to discourage his ego. He'd been a certifiable genius since young and he was well aware of the fact that he was smarter than the general person on the street.

And then…Conan had changed him, maybe even for the better. He was forced into an existence that didn't have the rights to pride. His dignity was practically nonexistent and he'd had to sink to some pretty low levels in order to survive. He'd learned to adapt to being Conan and had actually found himself _enjoying_ being Conan, but…he wasn't Shinichi.

He finally got his body back, after a long wait. But, he was different now. He was no longer able to look at Ran as a potential lover, but simply as a sister. He didn't find himself looking down on the people around him, but actually admiring them for not having given up yet. He was constantly being put in the spotlight and he found himself constantly looking for a way out. This wasn't him, not anymore. He didn't belong in the spotlight, he didn't _want_ to belong. He wanted to go back to being partially ignored, free to move around, free to do his job, free to just _think_. He wanted to lead the police on with subtle clues, to have fun with them and be friends rather than being superior to them.

But he couldn't. No matter where he went, everyone looked at him as if he was some sort of hero. Why? He was no saint. He was a filthy hypocrite, so why did they look up to him so? Had it always been like this? Did it really not bother him before?

He wasn't used to being able to lay out deductions himself. He wasn't used to not having a band of helpful future detectives to work with. He wasn't used to being _listened_ to. The police, they took whatever he said as orders. He almost wanted one of them to push him away from a crime scene again, to hit him over the head for interfering. He was a teenager, he wasn't supposed to have this sort of power. It didn't matter how smart he was, how could they so easily let him come in and take over for men that had worked years to earn their rank?

It wasn't right. Kudo Shinichi was the one all these people looked to. But he wasn't that person anymore, he _couldn't_ be that person anymore, not with all that he'd gone through. It was…not him. Kudo Shinichi was _not him_, not anymore. Shinichi was a profound believer in the truth, he'd never have lied for so long. So…who was he? If he wasn't Shinichi, who was he? He couldn't be Conan, Conan was the insightful, lovable little child that helped from underfoot. But he was in the spotlight now, so he couldn't be Conan.

Who was he?

Who was he supposed to be?

Why couldn't he be the person everyone wanted him to be?

Why did everyone want him to be a different person?

What was he supposed to do?


	41. Prosecution

Prosecution

"Kaitou Kid, you're under arrest!" Hakuba shouted.

"Why, whatever for?" Kid chirped cheerily.

"What for? You're a goddamned thief!"

"You know, Tantei-san," Kid began as he lounged against the hanging chandelier, "I get the feeling that if that were not the case, you'd be living a very dull life indeed." Hakuba sputtered. "Besides, if you want to arrest me, you have to catch me first. Although…if the charge of theft didn't hold – and you know, with a good enough lawyer, it probably wouldn't. After all, I return everything I steal, and I don't hurt anyone, _and_ I keep the property damage to a minimum – what would you have left to prosecute me with?" He questioned with a smirk.

"Fraud, impersonation, breaking and entering, for god's sakes."

"Really, Hakuba, you should know that its not breaking and entering if you are invited."

"You're not invited!"

"Oh? But I send a request and you all show up and beckon me in. How is that not an invitation? And as for the other two…" His smirk grew wide enough to break his face. "Prove it."

Hakuba simply groaned. He could never win against the thief, could he.

Omake

Conan went over the accusations in his head. Fraud, impersonation, breaking and entering… all those and more were on his own personal list of accomplishments. If _Kid_ could get arrested for them…

Suddenly, Conan had completely new ferocity when it came to catching the Kid fair and square at a heist.

--

**This was inspired by chapter 16 of Peppymint's Shard's of a Gem. No infringement intended.**

**Note on the omake: You know, if the police officers felt like it, they could definitely arrest Conan on charges of fraud, forgery, breaking and entering, impersonation, assault and battery, impeding an investigation, tampering with evidence, assault of a police officer, drug use, etc.**

**If it weren't for the fact that he chases murderers, he'd almost be worse than the criminals he chases.**

**Also, I've posted a new story that is a continuation of chapter 30 under the same name. Check it out!**


	42. Questions

Questions

The Sleeping Kogoro was…unique. For one, he really was sleeping. That in and of itself was pretty damn weird, because it was definitely _his_ voice that solved those cases he slept through. The possibility of there being someone behind the mask of Sleeping Kogoro was extremely high.

Mouri Kogoro was an idiot until the sleeping bout hit; then he went to utter genius. But it was strange. As someone once said, "There's method to his madness." His idiocy seemed almost similar to little Conan's cheery comments. They all hinted towards a certain conclusion, but no one _acted_ on them. At least, no one did until Sleeping Kogoro appeared.

So, if Mouri Kogoro wasn't as much of an idiot as he appeared, _why_ didn't he seem to care that he was most likely being drugged? _And_ impersonated? Because if someone could mimic his voice, there's no telling what else they could do. And yet, Mouri did nothing. Although…every once in a while, he sent these knowing glances towards his young charge. The boy never noticed, Kogoro made sure of that, but…well, that gaze definitely said something. What, though? What could it possibly say?

It was about a year after Sleeping Kogoro's fame hit that it began to decline. Not majorly, but it did happen. When he was at a crime scene, he made the deductions, but there seemed to be less crime happening around him lately. It wasn't really that strange; a guy could only be tailed by corpses for so long, but…something about it was unsettling.

Then, at the same time, there was a new detective appearing in the woodwork. Edogawa Conan, tantei-san, he introduced himself as. He'd been there before, but he stayed in the background. Now, he was more forward, more willing to approach the police with his deductions. The stranger thing was that the police actually _listened_ to him. He was a boy, not even in the double digits yet. But the police put a lot of stock in him. They listened to him, they believed him, they _worked_ with him.

Now, cases that happened around Mouri Kogoro weren't solved by Sleeping Kogoro. No, now they were solved by the police working together with the detectives. What happened to the cocky tantei that claimed the spotlight? Why didn't they want it anymore? And _why_ did they seem all too knowing about so many things. Such a wide array of knowledge was not normal. When learning, people generally focused on one particular area. But these people…they seemed to know _everything_. Why did no one else find that odd? And those few who did…why didn't they say anything? Why did no one seem to care that a young boy was facing things like murder on a day-to-day basis and was _not disturbed by it_? These weren't pretty murders, either, of such a title could be assigned to anything of that sort. This child didn't even blinked when faced with the goriest, most gruesome murders that made veteran police officers force down bile. _Why did no one find that odd_!?


	43. Truth

Truth

Sometimes, when Conan got particularly discouraged, he would step back and scoff at his catchphrase. There is only one truth. Right. Just the existence of Conan seemed to contradict that.

It was true that he was a child.

It was true that he was also a teenager.

It was true he was a detective.

It was true he broke the law on a fairly regular basis.

It was true he loved Ran.

It was true that sometimes he looked up at Ran and saw himself looking down on her.

It was true he was scared.

It was true he never let himself be scared of anything.

It was true he would distant himself from everyone around him.

It was true he dearly loved all of his friends and would do anything for them.

It was true he hated the Black Organization.

It was true that he sometimes thanked them because of the chance they gave him at life.

It was true that he believed revenge to be man's worst enemy.

It was true he often contemplated exactly how he would take revenge against the Black Org.

There was only one truth. He just had to figure out which one it was.


	44. Don't Touch What's Mine

Don't Touch What's Mine

This wasn't how it was supposed to be. It wasn't supposed to happen like this. Why? Why did it happen? Why couldn't he change it?

He knew…he knew when he had started to focus his attention on the thief that there was more to it than the challenge. Hell, he'd known from the first moment he'd met Kid face to face that there was something there. It was faint. Even more so because of his current status as a child, but…he'd felt an attraction to the thief, an attraction he thought the thief might actually share.

It was ridiculous of course. They were on different sides of the law for gods sakes. Even if something did happened, it wouldn't last. But…dammit, he couldn't help but wanting. Why? Why did he have to fall in love with the thief!?

--

He hadn't expected this. He really hadn't. It had all started out so simple, just a way to relieve his curiosity. It made sense. This strange young boy whom he'd felt some sort of pull to was actually someone amazing. A detective, and a talented one at that. It was intriguing. It was unusual. After all, people don't just _shrink_. But…well, it was something to entertain him.

So he'd continued what he'd been doing, watching the boy closely, making sure he was safe. The child was a risk-taker, and a reckless one at that. He made up for it by being smart and knowing how to get himself out of trouble, but…dammit, he'd scared the life out of Kid more than once!

It wasn't right. He wasn't supposed to feel like this. The man was a goddamned detective! Not only that, he had the body of a _seven year old_! He was _not_ supposed to be attracted to him. He _shouldn't_ be. Forget the threats to their reputations and his freedom, he was not supposed to feel something for those that chased him. Sure, he knew the boy wasn't really a kid, but…well, let's face it. It wasn't his seventeen year old _mind_ that was getting Kid aroused. Not unless there was something else about this detective he didn't know.

--

He wondered sometimes, what on earth was he thinking. This was wrong in every sense of the word. Even if they didn't get caught, it was obvious this would have to end. And when it did, he knew it would be bad. Still, when he saw the thief laying there, smiling up at him with pleasure-glazed eyes…what else could he do but give he thief what he wanted. And he did, he always did.

Kid was always gone in the morning, of course. He had his freedom to protect, after all. But…there were times when Shinichi desperately wished he would, that they could just forget their other lives and stay together…

It never happened, of course it didn't. They couldn't just abandon their lives. They had jobs to do, ones that forced them to fight each other, to constantly try to hurt the other…he hated it. He wanted it to disappear. No matter what happened, Kid stuck to his no-one-gets-hurt policy, but…it had been years, the police were getting tired. And when the higher-ups give orders, you can't just say no.

The day they booted Nakamori out and replaced him with a younger officer, he should've known. He should've left then, maybe this wouldn't have happened if he had. But he didn't. He was selfish, he didn't want to give up the chase. Still, he should've gotten a clue when the other veterans slowly started getting reassigned. It was nothing big, they said. They just needed new blood. After all, if the same people keep chasing the thief, they'll never catch him. But they didn't throw him out and he was determined not to give them a reason to do so.

He followed their orders precisely, won their favor and thought the cards were playing in his favor. It should have been a warning when Hakuba willingly resigned from the taskforce. He was the most devoted Kid chaser, why on earth would he voluntarily leave?

Shinichi found out when they put him in Hakuba's previous place. Kudo Shinichi was their pride and joy. He was loyal and efficient and, most of all, he came closest to catching the bandit. But they were no longer satisfied with the 'almost's. No, they wanted a definitive win. And they got it.

--

Kid knew something was wrong. Things had been going wrong for a while now. His precious taskforce was getting split up, leaving him. But even outside his work, things were going wrong.

His lover, after regaining his body, had devoted a lot to him. It was one of the things Kid loved most about him. He was so eager to please and be pleased. He showed Kid that he wasn't just there for the sex, but for the company, for the constant battle of wits.

And then, he'd changed. He'd become more distant, more focused on his work. He stopped working murders and focused on Kid heists. And while Kid loved having him in the chase, it was _wrong_. Shinichi was supposed to be out there saving lives, bringing killers to justice. Why wasn't he? What had changed?

He didn't have time to wonder anymore. The taskforce was getting harder and harder to simply dismiss and he got almost no time to speak to Shinichi. Even when they were alone, Shinichi brushed the questions aside. Kid didn't like it. It wasn't the way he was supposed to be.

--

His heart stopped when the shot rang out. What had happened? Who the _hell_ had given orders to fire at Kid!? Why? Kid never hurt anyone! They couldn't kill him!

Apparently they were determined to try, because the new taskforce just kept pulling the trigger. No, was all he could think. Don't you dare touch him, he's _mine_!

And when that bullet aimed just right, he proved it. He threw himself in front of the Kid, shielded his precious thief from harm.

The new inspector screamed in rage. How dare he! How dare he interfere when they were trying to catch the Kid! He gave the order to fire, but Shinichi wouldn't back down.

They wouldn't take Kid from him. He wouldn't let them.

--

Horrified, Kid watched helplessly as bullet after bullet pelted his love. He couldn't move, why couldn't he move!? He had to help him, had to get them both out!

They were killing him, they were hurting what belonged to Kid! No one was allowed to do that. He was a thief, he stole what he wanted. They weren't allowed to take it from him!

A shout echoed around the room and a door flung open. The old taskforce, his precious, precious pursuers, charged into the room, attacking the new ones. Finally, Kid was able to move!

He spurned into action, snatching his detective and getting him out of firing range. Holding him close, hot rage spilled through his veins at the sight of the blood flowing freely from his lover's many wounds. He had to get him treated, had to save him!

"Kaito," Shinichi whispered, his voice strained. His hand came up to shakily cup Kid's cheek. "I'm sorry." He said. "Gods, I'm so sorry."

Kid shook his head wordlessly, hand covering the detective's own, clutching the man to him, tears flowing freely down his face.

"No, come on, Tantei-kun. You can make it, come on." He bit his lip harshly as Shinichi's eyes dimmed. "Please, stay with me. Hang on. C'mon, Shinichi, don't give up. Please." He begged, cradling the detective.

"I'm sorry, Kaito." He whispered again. No, why was he apologizing? He hadn't done anything wrong, he just needed to live! "I love you."

"No, no, no," Kaito sobbed. "Shinichi, no, please, stay with me! Come on, don't give up!"

Shinichi smiled weakly. He pulled Kaito down with the last of his strength and kissed him softly. "I'm sorry." He mouthed.

"No!" Kid screamed. He shook the detective, tried everything he could to wake him up, but he wouldn't…he was gone.

"Kid!" Hakuba yelled. The fight between the taskforces was still commencing, but Kid's officers were losing. "Get out!"

No, he couldn't. Leaving would mean letting go of Shinichi. Leaving would mean letting his precious pursuers get killed. He couldn't do that.

He stood slowly, Shinichi's body still clutched to his chest. He looked down to see the people he'd played with for years get hurt. No, this wasn't happening. This couldn't happen! "Stop it!" He screamed. And, shocked, they did. Kid's eyes flared as he gazed at the ones responsible for this. They hurt his precious taskforce, his valued detectives. They were going to pay.

Suddenly, without any prompting from any of them, the gun-bearing attackers fell to the ground. Pale faced and shocked, Nakamori checked them, but they weren't dead. Of course, a life was the one thing Kid would never steal.

But…one final shot rang out and Kid crumpled to the floor, gun clattering uselessly from his hand.

A life was the one thing Kid would never steal, unless it was his own.

--

**Oh my god. I swear I did not mean to do this! Dammit, this was supposed to be a smut! Crap, I'm the one who wrote it and I'm crying…**

**But at least this time they died together, right?**


	45. Wake Up Surprise

**SMUT WARNING! IF YOU DON'T LIKE, DON'T READ!!**

Wake Up Surprise

Shinichi slowly awoke with a groan, wondering vaguely at the warm heat hovering over him. He remembered sitting outside in the backyard of the Kudo mansion, rereading _The Redheaded League_. It had been beautiful out and everyone was always saying he needed more sun, but he supposed he must have dozed off. That still didn't explain the heat above him, or the pressure being applied to his collarbone.

A sharp nip at said portion of skin made his eyes fly open, knowing what he would find. "Dammit, Kid, can't you at least wait until I'm awake?" He groaned. Lips curled upwards against his neck, a wet tongue darting out and lapping at his skin.

This had happened a lot lately, ever since he started whatever-he-had with Kid. The thief didn't seem to care if his partner was willing as long as he got what he wanted. That usually meant assaulting Shinichi while he was asleep and getting him interested when he didn't have the presence of mind to refuse. But dammit, if Kid was gonna molest him, he wanted to see it!

The pressure left his collar, pulling up to smile at him. "Have a nice nap?" Kid asked innocently.

Shinichi shivered, the chilly afternoon air meeting his wet skin. "You jerk." He glared with little heat behind it. A hand snaked up to tangle in Kid's hair, dragging his mouth down to meet his own. His tongue flicked at Kid's lips, plunging into his mouth when those lips parted with a groan. He thoroughly searched Kid's mouth, memorizing everything about it. He did it every time they kissed, but it never got old, especially when Kid would respond by pulling closer to him, curling his tongue around Shinichi's.

They parted briefly for air before Kid's mouth was upon him again. In the meantime, deft fingers made short work of his shirt, practically ripping the article from his body. Shinichi growled at him when the distinct sound of cloth tearing filled the air and opened one beautiful blue eye to glare at him.

"You're buying me a new shirt for that." He said into Kid's mouth. For some reason, his anger wasn't as effective as it would be had he full use of his body. Kid grinned, his fingers trailing lightly over Shinichi's chest, leaving goose bumps as they went. Shivering, Shinichi responded in kind, his own hands divesting Kid of his clothing.

His hands stroked Kid's smooth back, feeling the warm skin under his fingers. He was the only one who experienced these things, the only one who knew that Kid's hair was as soft as it looked, his lips as silky as the seemed. And he took pleasure in that, being the only one who knew. It made him special he loved it just as much as he loved Kid himself.

For some reason, he felt compelled to prove his love for the thief. Pressing hard against the grass with one side, he rolled them over until he was hovering over the criminal. The action caused their mouths to part, but, once again, Kid didn't seem to care, just latched on to the nearest patch of skin he could find.

Kudo groaned, his hands tracing random patterns over Kid's ribs. The thief shuddered underneath him, arching his back when the detectives fingers dipped into his navel. Shinichi's hands circled the button holding Kid's pants up, playing with it but not slipping it free. Kid growled, thrusting his hips forward. Shinichi gasped, unable to keep his own hips from responding. They pushed against each other in a desperate attempt to relieve the pressure from their lower bodies.

Finally, Shinichi pulled back, his hands searching through Kid's pants. They found the warmth and stroked it, slowly, lazily. Kid pouted at him, thrusting into Shinichi's hand frantically. Dammit, how could the detective tease him like this!?

"Lube." Shinichi muttered. "We need some kind of lubricant."

"Check my pockets." Kid said breathily. Shinichi obliged with his free hand until his fingers closed around a slim bottle. He withdrew it, Unscrewing the top with his mouth and pouring the oil over his fingers. One hand continuously pumped Kid's throbbing length while the other probed slick fingers around his entrance.

Kid whimpered, pushing back against the fingers. Slowly, teasingly, the caressed his insides, scissoring apart and stretching him.

It wasn't enough. The fingers were too small, they wouldn't reach deep enough. He wanted more.

Shinichi appeared to sense this need because he removed his fingers, smiling slightly at Kid's protesting groan. Removing his pants and lathering his cock with the lubricant, he thrust inside his lover. Kid's head fell back with a mewl. Shinichi pressed his face to the thief's neck, lining it with suckling kisses as he withdrew and thrust again.

They continued, the thrusts becoming more and more erratic as Shinichi's vision began to fog. It was tight, the heat squeezing him pleasantly and it felt so _good_. With one final thrust, his vision went white and he bit Kid's shoulder to keep from screaming. Below him, Kid came with a loud moan, tremors racking his body.

Silently, they curled against each other, choosing to wait until the pleasure-filled exhaustion passed to clean themselves up.

--

Inside the house, Ran dropped her binoculars, face bright red. She'd originally come to drop of some case files for Shinichi, but…well, other things had distracted her, namely the _interesting_ viewing material through the rear window.

Oh well, she supposed. He could always look over the paperwork later, anyway.


	46. Writings

Writings

Shinichi wasn't sure what had hit him lately. All he knew was that he was becoming more and more morbid. He also had this terrible foreboding feeling. Maybe it meant something. Maybe they were going to come for him. Maybe Ran was going to find out. Maybe he'd just been watching too many movies lately. Hell, maybe he was just going insane. It was only a matter of time, after all.

Whatever it was, it had compelled him to keep to himself today until he could duck out of sight and go back home. _Home_. That word was terrifying to him. Would it ever be his again? Would it come to be a trap for him? He didn't know, but he couldn't stop himself from going there often. It was all he had left of his old life. It was all that he wanted back that he could no longer have. It was a curse, a menace that haunted him whenever Ran would turn to him with those pretty grey eyes and ask when Shinichi was coming home.

So here he was, sitting in the library of the Kudo Household, contemplating what he wanted to do. If something happened to him…he wanted people to know. He didn't want to die a liar with no redemption. So he calmly took out two sheets of paper and began writing.

First he wrote Shinichi's story. His last will and testament. If something happened and Shinichi died completely, it needed to be truly final. And so he wrote, thinking how this message would break Ran's heart if she ever read it. And still, he wrote. He wrote about Shinichi's life, his determination as a detective, his dedication to the law, everything. He wrote about how his parents had left him when he was 14 and how the pain had never gone away. He wrote how he loved his parents, he loved his friends, he loved Ran. He wrote how thankful he was to the taskforce and to Megure's team. He wrote how he hoped the police would get to the point where they didn't need help from an arrogant teenager. And he wished them the best. That was how he ended it. Not with a plea for forgiveness or for them to move on and forget about him, but for everyone he cared about to do well.

Then he began writing for Conan. Here, he wrote about the beginnings of the child's life.. About the Black Organization and all they had done to him. About all his cases and all the close calls he'd had with his enemies. Here, he wrote his confession, the truth to Conan's existence. He wrote once more about the people he cared about, the list much bigger this time. He once again wished them well and hoped for their safety. He asked them to bring justice to the criminals if he failed.

Shinichi's letter was reminiscent. Conan's letter was factual. Both of them showed much about the person he was and the person he'd become. He just hoped he'd never have to use them.

They were his life sentences, his life lines. The things he held onto and the things that held him back. He hoped he could get through this without anyone having to read them. But he knew it wasn't possible.

No matter what happened, one of them had to die. Shinichi couldn't live while Conan was around and Conan couldn't live if Shinichi was around.

So he took another paper. This time, he wrote about Conan, as he was as a child. He wrote about Conan's friends, his experiences with cases, with the police. He wrote about the child's hopes for the future if Shinichi couldn't come back. He wrote, turning the child into a person instead of a mask.

And when he looked back afterwards, he realized that Conan's letter was the only one that seemed to hold hope. Shinichi was dead. The detective's mask was dead. All that was left was Conan, a small, intelligent boy who loved his neechan and his friends and helped the police where he could.

Sighing, the small figure took all three pages and locked them in the Kudo's safe.

Maybe someday, it would be different. But for now, Conan had a life to live. He desperately hoped that life wouldn't end badly and he would never need to recover those writings from that safe.


	47. Decisions

Decisions

It was odd. Truly, it was. Kaito had been raised a law-abiding citizen, just as any other person had. His father may have been a thief, but he was a moral one and besides, it wasn't like Kaito had _known_ he was a thief growing up.

So why was it that he was able to slip into the role so easily. It was like second nature. He usually just didn't even think about it, but he found himself doing things he'd never known how to do before.

He'd always thought Kid would be a moderately short-term occupation. Sure, he knew it wouldn't end too quickly – his dad hadn't found it either, after all – but he figured it would be pretty simple. He'd find the jewel, use it to take down the organization somehow, destroy it, retire, and possibly marry Aoko or some such. The last one was uncertain. Still, he really didn't think it would go to lasting well up to five years.

But it had. And now he could finally stop. He'd found her, found Pandora. The Organization had been taken down in the months previous – due largely to efforts on his part with a great deal of assistance from a certain miniature detective – and he was ready. He could destroy the accursed gem that had haunted him for so long and quit being Kid. He could give Aoko back her father and her best friend before they became so distant that the damage couldn't be repaired. He could spar with Hakuba without worrying about the blonde trapping him in some way. He could live as a normal teenager – well, as close to normal as he could ever get – all he had to do was disappear from the night sky.

He didn't want to.

Kid was special to him, important to him. It was his father's heirloom so to speak, the last gift Toichi had been able to give him. Kid was courageous and carefree and fun-loving…he didn't have to worry about the troublesome life of a criminal teenager. He was illusive, mysterious everything Kaito had always dreamed of being, ever since he was a child.

Kid was him, the thing that set him apart from the others, that made him unique and special. He didn't want to let that go. Kid was his life, his excitement, his audience, his entire _existence_. He lived in the thrill of the heists. Stage performances just couldn't compare. Nothing could.

But…he was breaking the law. He was only supposed to be doing this to put his father to rest. If he did it after that…it wouldn't be justified anymore, not even in his own mind. He'd be breaking the law, truly, for no reason other than enjoyment. Could he do that?

Kaito stared down into the swirling glass of his father's most precious treasure. Kaito's most precious treasure. _Kid's_ most precious treasure.

They were one and the same, all of them. Kid, Kaito, and Toichi, they were all a particular type of person that just couldn't live like other people. But…could he do it?

His father had been Kid before Kid was fighting murderers, hadn't he? He wouldn't think bad of Kaito if he continued…right? No, of course he wouldn't. He was _Dad_, he encouraged Kaito to do what he loved, to make people happy, and to, no matter what, always smile.

Kid was all of the above. Kaito loved the rush of being Kid, Kid provided shows and pleasure for vast audiences everywhere, and, most of all, Kid was always smiling. He never stopped. It was something even Kaito couldn't always manage, not when he started thinking of how he was lying to Aoko, how he was hurting her, how he could get his family into so much trouble…

But Kid, Kid never had those worries. He was a thief, there would always be occupational hazards. It was just part of the business, whether they were worried mothers, troublesome fans, or murderous snipers. They were part of the show and the show was what Kid did. So he could keep smiling, he always would.

And Kaito…Kaito loved being Kid. If he continued, it would mean nothing would ever happen between him and Aoko, they would probably grow more distant, he would be forced to distance himself from everyone for protection, he'd be chased by Aoko's father until he no longer could, he'd get chased by Hakuba and Hattori and Kudo…

It would be hard. It always was. He was a criminal, after all; it wasn't supposed to be easy. But it would be worth it, wouldn't it? To stay Kid, doing what he loved, being with people that meant so much to him?

Yes, yes it would, Kaito decided. So he would. He'd continue to be Kid and continue to enamor audiences with Kid's majestic and playful heists. He'd live keep the name of the thief as good as it had been with its previous bearer. And he would always smile. Because that's what Kid did. Because that's what Kaito did. Because that's what Toichi had taught them. And it had always been the most important lesson to them.

--

**Well, I hope that didn't seem too odd. I really think that Kaito is just too natural being Kid that he would quit after he found Pandora. Kid is too much of his life for him to just stop. Plus, I think Kaito sort of separates 'Kid' and 'Kaito' in his mind. Sort of schizophrenic, really…**

**As always, thanks for reading and feel free to give me suggestions of anything you'd like to see.**


	48. Insanity

Insanity

Edogawa Conan glared at the criminal as he was carted off by the police. He always felt a certain sense of satisfaction whenever he saw justice served. And pride, of course. After all, he was the one who caught the perp.

"There is only one truth." He said calmly. "And it beat the lies you told."

--

Mouri Ran sighed sadly, looking through the one-way window to the padded room where her oldest friend resided. He'd been in there ever since the day they went to Tropical Land, where he'd run off somewhere and was hit over the head. No matter what the doctors tried they couldn't seem to get through to him. So, finally, they'd sent him the last place they could: an insane asylum.

They didn't know what was wrong with him, not exactly. The impact to his head was barely concussion-inducing. Something else must've happened that night to traumatize him enough to drive him out of his mind. But what? All they knew was that one hour Kudo Shinichi was the genius detective the country had come to know him by and the next, he was incoherent, mumbling something about a name…an Edogawa Conan? No one could figure out where that came from, only that it wasn't a real person. Did Shinichi have an imaginary friend now? Someone who replaced her? Ran couldn't help but be hurt at the thought.

"Mouri-san?" One of the doctors approached her. "We understand you're Kudo-kun's friend?" She nodded. "Would you like to speak to him? I can't guarantee he'll notice or understand you, but you have more of a chance than the nurses. He seems to at least be aware of the people from his former life, but…well, would you like to see for yourself?"

"Yes, please." She said solemnly. She waited as the doctor knocked on the door and opened it. Shinichi didn't even look up. "Shinichi?"

"You see, Keibu," He said, holding his hands up to his mouth and crouching down, "it had to be Suwa-san because of the message left by the victim that points to our murderer."

Ran bit back a sob, tears welling up in her eyes. "Oh, Shinichi, please look at me. Please, just let me know you're there."

"Hai, Ran-neechan." He said, smiling up at her with a face radiating childish innocence. Something was strange about the intonations of his voice, though. It sounded too sweet. Almost like a little kid. But why? What was Shinichi seeing?

He was speaking again. "Are you okay, Ran-neechan? Is it Shinichi-niichan again?"

"Oh god," Ran whispered. Did he not know who he was?

When she left the room half an hour later, all she knew was that the Kudo Shinichi she once knew and loved was now non-existent.

--

**Okay, so I'm reading **_**One Flew Over the Cockoo's Nest**_**…I'm pretty sure that's where this came from. If you haven't read it, it's a pretty good book, but the fact that I have to read it for school kinda makes it suck.**


	49. Audience

**As a request from gemininus, this drabble will feature our illustrious Moonlight Magician the First and be semi-connected to Decisions.**

--

Audience

Looking up into the night sky, the young boy gasped in awe. It was so beautiful, with all the twinkling stars and the luminescent moon hanging in the air. It was amazing! Wait 'til he told his friends about this; they never had views like this in Tokyo!

"Ne, 'Kaa-chan?" He asked, turning to the tall woman standing next to him. "Why is the moon so much closer than the stars?"

"Because, To-chan," She said in a musical voice, "the moon is a symbol of peace and power, especially to magicians. If the goddess wasn't close enough to watch over us, what would we do without her?"

Toichi frowned for a moment, contemplating this, before grinning widely. "Does that mean the Moon Goddess will always be watching me!?" He asked cheerfully. "She'd make the best audience!"

His mother laughed. "Well, I'm sure that's true, To-chan, but what about the rest of your audience? By the time the moon makes her best appearance, your crowd is all peacefully asleep in bed."

Toichi pouted. That wasn't how it was supposed to work. "Why can't I have both? They could stay up to see me, couldn't they?"

"I'm afraid many people in this world have denied themselves the time for enjoyment. Your audience will always do what they want to."

"Not if I control the deck!" Toichi insisted. "I promise, one day they'll all wait to see my performances!"

She laughed. "Alright, then, Toichi. I look forward to that day."

--

Five years later, when Toichi was about the age of 12 and was finally growing near the age of responsibility, he found himself walking down the street with his mother after shopping for groceries. With an extra tub of ice cream just for him, of course.

He stopped suddenly, staring at the flashing TV screen inside one of the stores. It was turned to the news channel and the anchor was making a report on a valuable necklace that had been recovered from a pawn shop where the thief had sold it after killing its previous owner.

"'Kaa-chan?" He asked slowly. "Why do people steal? Isn't it wrong? Look at that. Isn't it wrong that the poor lady lost her necklace?"

"Yes, Toichi, stealing is wrong. But understand something. Stealing is the act of taking someone else's belonging. If it doesn't belong to them, it may not necessarily be theft."

"So…if I were to, say, steal the necklace from that thief and give it back to the lady, it wouldn't be wrong?"

She was silent for a long while. "Well, morally, it's not wrong. But that doesn't change the fact that it's illegal, Toichi. If you steal, you run the risk of going to jail, even if it's not wrong."

"Oh." Toichi said quietly. The news article stayed on his mind for the rest of the day.

--

Years later, he'd made a very special friend, one who was more interested in law practice than magic, but he was still an interesting man. Nakamori-kun was very opinionated and never hesitated to give said opinion, even if it could get him into a lot of trouble. Toichi liked that about him. Too many people didn't stand up for what they believed in now-a-days. He wished he could change that. Everyone complained, but no one _did_ anything.

There was one bad thing about hanging out with a future cop, though. The crimes. It wasn't too bad, but Nakamori was interning with the theft division of police department and occasionally, he got to go on some real cases, instead of just running errands and making coffee. This time, Toichi somehow found himself dragged along. It was terrible. He could understand why someone would steal; the trinkets _were_ beautiful, but how could someone _kill_ another over it?

He'd read a lot of reports since then. It happened a lot. Not only that, but they usually weren't caught. All these people, so many of them, took what they wanted, got rid of the evidence, and got rich. Thousands of jewels were getting spread over the world on the black market. And Toichi wanted to stop it.

He knew it was stupid. What could one man do? But, dammit, the police weren't doing anything? The courts system was usually just as corrupt as the criminals, so _they_ weren't doing any good either, and there was no one else to turn to. And then the idea hit him.

If the law couldn't stop these things, did that mean those on the other side of the law couldn't? Had anyone ever tried? He wouldn't mind being the first. He was good at that, trying new ideas. It was always fun, even if it didn't always work.

But how would he make sure he didn't turn out like all the other ordinary criminals? Well, by being extraordinary, of course. Toichi had never been traditional anyway. And so he came up with three rules to live by from now on.

1) He would only steal from those that had stolen from others. No dealing with objects already in their proper ownership.

2) No one gets hurt, even if it meant him going to jail. He refused to sink to that level.

3) Always give the audience a good show. He was a performer, after all.

A month later, the nation was baffled with the cocky note the police had received. What sort of thief sent out a notice for a theft? And even more than that, what sort of thief got away with it?

Toichi quickly made his way onto the wanted list. He was distinctive, after all, and could only settle for the best. The best being Interpol's Most Wanted. He was honored, really. He'd only been a thief for a few months.

His outfit was becoming an icon. The thief's white tux, equally white top hat, the monocle and charm, and, most of all, his ever-present smirk. It never went away.

The police learned his rules rather fast and even respected him for them. Who'd heard of a thief going out of his way to be honorable? They even gave him his own taskforce. He was delighted when Nakamori was named head of it.

He was even named by a famous author! Before, he'd just been known by his criminal number, 1412. Now, thanks to a very interesting writer/detective, he was becoming internationally known as Kid.

He loved it. Everything about being Kid was amazing. He could fly in the vast skies, with the moon as his witness, but also with crowds of fans and police, all there just for him.

"Told you, 'Kaa-chan." He said softly to the Night's Goddess, "I told you I'd make an audience out of them all. And I have, haven't I?" His smirk grew tenfold. Oh yes, he definitely enjoyed being Kid.


	50. Gods

Gods

People were always poking fun at the amount of deaths that followed him around. They called him a corpse magnet, usually just for the sake of pushing his buttons, not that it wasn't true. And it did irritate, but not for the reason they all expected. No, it irked him because they'd got it wrong. It wasn't the corpses that he attracted, it was the murderers.

It had all started very early on, when he'd been experiencing his childhood for the first time. His parents, as usual, were planning a vacation. Shinichi had been thrilled at the idea. How many of his classmates had ever been to Greece!?

…He never wanted to go back. It wasn't bad, per se, it was actually loads of fun, but the end result…well, he learned the hard way not to piss off an oracle. Especially not one for the revered God of the Dead. (1)

He hadn't _meant_ to contradict what the oracle had said, really. It's just, she was wrong! A person could kill with anything if they really wanted to. Sherlock Holmes had said so! (2) And he was always right!

Well, as it turned out, the whole mythology thing wasn't as much of a myth as he'd thought it to be. Hades had heard him and hadn't liked it. He really wasn't sure why, though. All he'd said was the truth.

Well, whatever had bothered Hades, the god intended to take care of it. And so he cursed Shinichi. Or at least, Shinichi _thought_ he did. He didn't really know any Greek, but even if it wasn't meant as a curse, it certainly was!

Shinichi never knew what Hades' curse had entailed, exactly, all he knew was that suddenly, wherever he was, it was the crime central of the world. He was only seven for god's sake! But apparently age meant nothing to Hades. Something about reincarnations or some such. He wasn't really sure; he'd stopped listening a while ago when a book written by a certain author had caught his eye.

So ever since then, he'd had a curse. The bringers of death would follow him, taunting him, until he found a way to get rid of them.

Over the years, he'd learned how, for the most part. Solving murders and catching the culprits helped a lot. People started to get scared of him, even if they naturally found themselves near him. They became less willing to kill while he was around and, because of the curse, he was always around.

And then, something had happened. Kudo Shinichi wasn't there anymore, only Conan. But, Conan didn't have any scary reputation, he was just a harmless little kid. And next thing he knew, corpses laid at his feet like lovers. It was rather disturbing, really. Still, he took some comfort in knowing the death hadn't occurred because he was around. He'd just brought the killer to the area. It wasn't a very redeeming thought, but it also meant he brought the killers to the police, so he could live with it. Still, he wondered, when was he ever going to find a cure to this damn curse. Sure, he loved mysteries, but he couldn't even leave the house without one occurring. Hell, half the time, they managed to occur in his own house!

He liked chasing Kid. Kid somehow held the curse at bay, at least a little. It was almost worth it to have the stuff stolen, as long as no one died. The only problem was, he couldn't chase Kid twenty-four seven. Not only that, but it looked like Kid was starting to get dragged into the murders, too, as criminals learned they might be able to pass the blame off on him. Conan always felt guilty about that, not that he'd tell anyone.

It was rather depressing, really. No matter where he went, there were crimes. Usually it was murder, but was it just him, or did it seem that only other criminals were able to chase off the murder vibes? It helped his, or rather Mouri's, reputation as a detective, what with all the cases occurring around him, but seriously…he was rather surprised no one had made the connection yet.

First, crimes happen around Kudo Shinichi. Then, he disappears and crime happens around Mouri, just as he takes in a little boy who could be Kudo's clone? It was a good thing the general public was stupid.

Now, when Ran was gushing about how exciting it was that they were going to another country for a case, Conan had to resist the urge to bang his head against a wall. He and Greece just didn't mix. Although…maybe he could convince Hades to lift the curse? And if it was the same oracle, he could pass it off as a never-aging curse, too. Hey, maybe Hades would know how to grow him back!

Maybe a trip to Greece wouldn't be too bad.

--

**Note: (1) I don't know if Hades has an oracle or, if he did, if he would still have one now.**

**(2) I haven't read very many of Holmes's cases, so I don't know if he ever actually said anything like this, but it seemed a good excuse for Shinichi to know it from.**

--

Omake

You'd think he'd have learned his lesson with Hades. But, noooo, he just _had_ to go off and screw himself over with yet another god. This time, it was Aphrodite. Did that mean he'd never get Ran after all?

He took back what he said. Coming to Greece was never a good idea.

--

Whimpering as Aoko held a trout in his face, Kaito vaguely wondered if Poseidon would be interested in removing that curse any time soon. Being afraid of water's most abundant creatures was kind of a setback in life.


	51. Other Half

Other Half

It was interesting, the way he seemed to have obtained a whole other personality just with donning the mask. Not that they were completely different. Kid and Kaito had quite a bit in common, they just had more differences. Kid was bold and daring, Kaito was hyper and caring. Both were always smiling.

Kaito didn't really know who he was anymore. He was Kuroba Kaito, he was Kaitou Kid, and sometimes, he was someone else entirely. It didn't usually bother him. He wasn't the type to think about motivations. As long as it worked, he saw no reason to go back and analyze it. Sometimes, that meant it would never work again. Kaito didn't like that idea, so he simply let things take their own path.

Still, he began to think something might be wrong with him when he started feeling jealous of his alter ego. Nothing in particular had spawned it, but one day, he just found himself thinking about how everyone idolized Kid. With Kid around, Kaito fell into the shadows.

Magicians were a welcomed distraction to many people, but they didn't need two of them. With most people, Kid was enough. Kaito would never be given a chance.

He didn't like it. Kaito was there first, didn't he deserve to be able to do something with his life, too? But was he really first? After all, Kid had been around even before he was born. It wasn't him back then, but then…was it really him right now? Kid was his own entity, he wasn't controlled by anyone. Kaito's body may host Kid, but he wasn't him. He never could be.

Kid was the one who went out and pleased the world, taunting the police and charming the ladies. Kaito was the nice, carefree, high school magician, the background character until he pulled a prank that got everyone laughing before they pushed it from their minds with the latest news. The latest news was all about Kid these days.

If he were an honest man, able to admit his own shortcomings, even if just to himself, Kaito would have to agree that he was scared. His life was being taken over by Kid. As it continued on, was Kid growing stronger? Would it come to the point where there was no more Kaito left?

It hurt. Kid was everything Kaito had always dreamed of being, but now…now Kid was everything he despised about this world. He was even having trouble upholding the fan act around Aoko. Hakuba had already noticed. He wondered if the detective cared. After all, if he hated Kid, he was less likely to be him, right? But he _wasn't_ Kid, he never would be. Besides, Hakuba had only ever had eyes for the thief from the beginning. That's why he'd come to Japan in the first place, after all.

It seemed all the people Kaito had come to care about put Kid first. With Jii, it was all about the heists; with Hakuba, it was all about catching Kid; with Koizumi, it was all about getting the Kid to love her; with Nakamori, it was all about putting Kid behind bars; with his classmates, it was all about how mysterious and amazing Kid was and how they wished he would come and steal them away. In reality, all Kaito had left was his mother and Aoko. Everyone else was there for Kid.

All he had now was less than what he'd had before Kid had come along. At least then, his classmates noticed him, Nakamori bantered with him, threatened him over Aoko… Now, he had his mother and Aoko. They two women in his life that meant more to him than anything, but…he wanted more. Didn't he deserve at least another _friend_!?

And sometimes it seemed like he was loosing all he had left to Kid. Most of what Aoko talked about now was how much she hated Kid and, even if that wasn't exactly favorable to the thief, he still got all her attention. Kaito was just someone to complain to, someone that was beginning to share the hate.

His mother…she'd called him Kid once, you know. Oh, he knew it was just a slip up, she obviously hadn't meant to do it, but… she'd been complimenting him. Telling him how much _Kid_ was like Toichi and how proud his father would be. _Kid_ was like Toichi, not _Kaito_. And that hurt. He knew his mom didn't mean it like that, but… couldn't he at least have his own mother to himself? Wasn't he allowed that much?

He thought about dying sometimes. He wondered if anyone would notice. But of course they would. If he died, Kid would go with him. Everyone would notice Kid's absence. Still, he couldn't help but think about it…

--

Something snapped in him the day Aoko proudly told him that she and Hakuba would officially be joining the Kaitou Kid taskforce together and that, with the approval of her father, they would be going out.

Kaito smiled kindly and congratulated her, wishing her well in her hunt for the bandit. Then, he went off for a nice long cry.

He hadn't cried since his father's death. He actually wasn't even sure he was still capable of it. Still, the miserable feelings toiling inside of him had the same effect.

They were all gone now, all the people that were precious to him Kid had taken them all away. No one was there for Kaito anymore, he was nothing more than a mere shadow. After all, who needed the playful, mediocre magician when you could get the illustrious thief-magician. Kaito wasn't needed anymore.

"I hate you." Kaito whispered, curled into a ball on the ground in a deserted area of the park. His head was hidden in his arms, though he wasn't sure if his face was actually wet. "I fucking hate you. Why do you have to exist? Dammit, I did _just_ fine without you. You can't even manage to find Dad's killers." _Not that I can either. At least you're closer than me._ "I hate you, Kid." He murmured into his sleeve.

"Hate's a strong word, Kuroba Kaito-kun." A strangely familiar voice said from somewhere above him. It wasn't exactly that the voice was familiar, but the tone, the accents…they were so very well known to him, but he couldn't place them.

His head jerked up sharply, staring at the man looming over him. He was roughly the same age as Kaito and even looked a great deal like him, though there were obvious differences. Finally, he was able to place the voice. "Kudo…" He whispered, before abruptly realizing that Kaito shouldn't have known who he was. He stiffened, waiting for the Eastern Detective to make a move, accuse him of something.

But he didn't. Instead, he laughed, a soft melodic sound that resonated in Kaito's heart, making him feel the slightest bit better. Even if Kudo was purely associated with Kid, it was good to know the detective was doing well. "Yes, that's right. Kudo Shinichi." He offered a hand to Kaito, to pull him up or to shake he wasn't sure, but he didn't take it either way, remaining in his protective position.

"What do you want with me?" He asked. _And not with Kid?_ The words remained unspoken, but he got the feeling Kudo heard them anyway.

Kudo shrugged, drawing back his hand. "I was looking up some old friends. Turns out your family and mine were quite well acquainted in the past." No doubt. After all, both generations of Kudo chased Kid. "You see, my mother was an apprentice of your father."

That made Kaito blink. It wasn't what he had expected. But actually, thinking back on it, he could remember a beautiful young woman training under his father. "Pretty Oba-san," He said quietly, remembering.

Shinichi grinned. "She said that's what you called her. Also said she gave you quite a lecture about putting 'pretty' and 'Oba-san' in the same sentence."

Kaito was surprised to find himself smiling. "I – yeah. I gave her a red rose when she and Dad were having dinner somewhere."

"Well, since we were acquainted in the past, I figured it wouldn't hurt to check up on you. Someone at the station mentioned you hadn't been doing too well lately."

"Huh?" Kaito blinked again. Someone at the station? There was someone left to care about _him_?

"'Think it was Nakamori-keibu. I mentioned a slight connection to you and he brought the subject up." Shinichi said. Kaito noticed the volume of his voice had decreased quite a bit. "Are you okay, Kuroba-kun?"

"I'm…" Kaito couldn't answer. If he was honest, Kudo would want to know why. But he didn't think he could lie right now. His poker face was gone and Kudo could usually see through it anyway.

"Did you know," Shinichi suddenly began, "that Edogawa Conan left for America three weeks ago. He did what he needed to here and moved on."

Did what he needed to? Had Kudo found something about the criminals that shrunk him? Or was he merely referring to his recovery to full size?

"Why are you telling me this?" Kaito asked, voice muted and blank.

"Because you seem like the type of person that's interested in the random facts." Kudo said simply. "Are you doing anything?" He asked out of the blue. "It's getting to be midday and I wouldn't mind some company for lunch. Besides, it looks like you could use a bite to eat."

Kaito stared at the offer. Would he accept? What if Tantei-kun was merely there for Kid? His little comments about Conan had proved he knew who he was. Was it a trap? The magician sighed. At this point, he didn't much care if he got caught. Hell, throwing him in prison would at least give him a little of the spotlight back. "Alright." He finally said. Kudo offered his hand again and this time, Kaito took it.

--

Over the course of the next few weeks, Kaito and Shinichi had grown closer together, the detective turning into a much needed friend for Kaito. It was somewhat irritating for the magician, actually. He really liked Shinichi, but he still didn't know if the detective was just there for Kid. And, well…Kaito craved attention. When he only had one person to give it to him, he tended to come off a little strong. He didn't want to drive Kudo away, so he put a lot of effort into giving Shinichi his space.

Then, during a evening of hanging out together watching a movie, Kudo made an unexpected move. He turned to Kaito and asked, completely serious, if he could kiss him. Kaito, intelligently, had responded with gaping widely. Shinichi fidgeted under Kuroba's stare, but when the magician slowly worked his jaw back to it's proper place, his answer was, "Yes."

It was amazing, unlike anything he'd ever experienced before. It was just a simple press of lips against each other, but Shinichi was warm and soft and giving. His arms were wrapped lightly, almost hesitantly, around Kaito's waist and Kaito felt his eyes fluttering shut, giving into the kiss.

He was in a better mood the next day than he had been for nearly a year.

The good mood evaporated the next day. The uncertainties came back full force. What if Kudo was only in this to get evidence about Kid? What if he was just waiting for him to slip up big time so the police could capture him?

Shinichi noticed the change immediately. He asked kindly what was wrong, but Kaito wouldn't answer. Shinichi let the subject drop, though his worried gaze rested on the boy for a long time after that. Unfortunately, Kaito was too wrapped up in his thoughts to notice the sincerity in Shinichi's eyes.

Another week had passed, them going out on dates almost every night, but Kaito's mood only marginally brightened.

Finally, Kudo got fed up with the silence. He pinned Kaito to the wall and demanded to know what was wrong with him, if he'd done something wrong. Kaito still couldn't respond and he avoided looking the tantei in the eyes. As such, he missed the flash of hurt that crossed Shinichi's face.

Suddenly, Shinichi backed off completely. "It's me, isn't it? I pushed you into this and you don't know how to get out." He swallowed painfully. "I'm sorry." He whispered. "I'll leave if you want me to."

Kaito still didn't say anything, but his hands shot out and tangled in Shinichi's shirt, not allowing him to move away any further.

"Kaito, please talk to me." Shinichi's voice came out quiet, but there was a note of pleading underlying it. "_Please_."

Kuroba's lips slowly parted. "I…" And as if that single letter was a trigger, everything just started pouring out. His nightlife persona, his alter-ego, his jealousy, his pain, his fear…everything flowed over his lips, accompanied by tears that were finally able to fall. "I don't want you to be here for Kid." He whispered in confession at the end of his reel. "I want you to be here for _me_." He laughed, a humorless, broken little sound that caused Shinichi to flinch. "I'm selfish, aren't I? But why can't I be?" He cried. "Kid gets _everything_. Why can't I have something?"

"Baka," Shinichi muttered, pulling the magician into his arms and letting the boy cry on his shoulder as he buried his face in the soft brunette locks. "If I was interested in Kid, I wouldn't be here. If I wanted to catch Kid, it would be fair and square at a heist. Frankly, I'm not interested in thieves."

Kaito's fingers tightened in the fabric of Shinichi's shirt. "Thank you." He said into Shinichi's chest. The detective's arms stayed firmly around his waist.

"I don't know much about the other people in your life, Kaito, but it was Nakamori who lead me to you in the first place, and your name came up originally in a conversation between the Keibu, his daughter, and her boyfriend. I can't speak for them, but I think they're worried about you, Kaito." He pulled back enough to look Kaito in the eye. "Give them a chance. They mean a lot to you, right? Just see if they'll come through."

Kaito's eyes grew even more watery with these words and he pressed his lips against Shinichi's, the taste of tears and the detective mixing in his mouth.

Kid wasn't everything anymore. There was someone there for Kaito now, someone who didn't care about Kid and someone who was willing to give Kaito all the attention he yearned for and more. Kaito wasn't alone anymore and he never would be again.


	52. Addiction

Addiction

It's like a drug. I can't stop watching you, no matter how hard I try. When I'm forced to, I find myself physically pained at the loss I feel. Why? Why must you have this affect on me?

I never wanted this, I never asked for this. I never asked to be placed by your side or to be left watching you…falling in the vast chasm of your eyes, reveling in the soft look of your silky lips as they curve into a smile. No, it wasn't supposed to be like this. I was never supposed to get so dependent on the sight of you.

I need you. I can hardly go without seeing you. I feel weak and pained the longer we're apart. You're an addiction, one I've completely fallen to the need for.

I want you. I want to always be able to see you, to touch, to feel. I want to see if your hair is as soft as it looks, if your skin is as smooth, if your lips as silky…I want it all.

The feeling won't go away. If anything, it's getting worse. I'm starting to see things where they're not, starting to hear things that aren't there. Is this all because of you? Is not seeing you doing this to me?

Where are you? I can't find you. Don't you see that I need you? That I can't live without you? Come back. Please. It's getting worse. I think something's wrong with me. Where are you? Come Back!

People are starting to notice. They want me to talk about what I'm feeling, try to identify the emotion. Should I? Would you be upset if I did? Could it lead to you finding out? I can't let that happen…it would hurt you, scare you. I can't have that happened. You're mine, even if only from a distance. I can't allow you to be hurt.

They went and told me anyway. They don't know the circumstances, I won't let them find you, but they say I'm showing all the signs of love. Love, isn't that just the most ridiculous thing you've ever heard?

…I think it's true. I've really fallen for you, harder than dependence. I want you, I need you, I love you. I'll never let you go. Even if I can't have you, I'll always be there for you, in anyway I can.

Because you are my addiction and I can't stand to be away from you. No matter what, I'll always be by your side. I can't live any other way.


	53. Correspondence

Correspondence

Ran stamped her foot impatiently. Where was he? He was supposed to meet her here five minutes ago!

The twelve year old girl was waiting in café under her father's office. Her best friend had promised to meet her to help her practice katas, although he insisted they meet at this coffee shop. Apparently the boy had fallen in love with the vanilla latte they served and couldn't find it anywhere else. But he was late!

Dammit, where was he? If he didn't show up soon, she was going to march over to his house and practice her karate on him there!

Grumbling, she decided to wait for another minute before taking extreme measures. After all, if Shinichi's parents were home, she didn't want to do anything. Yukiko-oba-san would go and tell her mother and Eri was very good with punishments, even if they weren't living together right now.

…His time was up. She got up with a huff, sending a short smile at the waitress that had given her water before stomping out of the shop and heading toward 2-21 Nichoume Street. If that jerk wasn't home, he'd be running into some serious trouble.

When she arrived, a frown formed on her face. The lights weren't on in any of the visible windows. She'd be willing to bet he was holed up the library, though. She fingered the key he'd given her in her pocket. If she rang the bell, would he even hear it? She knew how he got when he was reading – completely blocked out the rest of the world.

Once inside, she headed straight to the library and was surprised to find it empty. Where was he? She searched the house and finally wound up outside his bedroom. She could her a constant tapping inside and furrowed her brow. Knocking on the door, she pushed it open. "Shinichi?"

There was no reply from the boy she could see sitting in front of his computer, typing away. "Shinichi!" He jumped, spinning around to stare at her.

"Ran? What're you trying to do, give me a heart attack?"

"You were supposed to meet me _six minutes ago_!" She yelled, glaring at him.

He blinked, checking his watch. She was right. "Oops."

"Oops? _Oops_!? That's all you can say?" She growled.

"Sorry!" He held his hands up defensively. "I was busy. I got distracted."

"With what?"

"Nothing." Shinichi grumbled. He didn't want to say anything. It was personal, he didn't want anyone else to know about it.

It had started ages ago, over six years now. Most people didn't know, but he had an old friend, back from before his family had traveled to America when he was five or six. His mother was apprenticing under a talented magician, Kuroba Toichi. His son, Kaito, and Shinichi had gotten along well, becoming instant friends. So when the Kudo family moved, they'd talked their parents into buying them computers and exchanged email addresses. They'd kept in touch ever since.

Kaito and him had become close, even if they were only pen pals. Shinichi considered their relationship personal, he didn't want anyone else to know. It was special to him, he didn't want to ruin in by having other people butting in.

"So, what was I supposed to meet you for again?" He asked, turning off the monitor and rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. Ran grumbled, but now what he had been doing previously was the farthest thing from her mind.

--

Years later, Edogawa Conan looked up at Kaitou Kid and felt a bizarre sense of familiarity. The thief's beautiful blue eyes, a hint of purple swirling in their depths, gazed down at him, a smirk curling over his face. "Isn't it past your bedtime, Boya?" His cool voice called out to the child.

"Kaitou Kid-san," The boy's grin looked odd, like one not meant for his face. "Pleased to meet you. I'm Edogawa Conan, Tantei-san."


	54. Effort

Effort

The girl ran silently through the night. She had to get there on time; she couldn't be late, not if she didn't want it to happen again. No, she wouldn't be late.

"_Momma?" The young child peered down the shadowed hallway. "Momma, what's wrong? Where are you?" She called, her voice rising in pitch as panic flowed through her. Momma always made sure to let her know where she was. Why wouldn't she respond? "Momma!?"_

_Tears were pouring down her face now. Where was she? Could she have stepped out without leaving a note? Could she be asleep somewhere?...And why was it so hot here in their house? Momma never kept it this hot. And why – ?_

_The girl stretched to her toes to reach the doorknob and open the door, but recoiled back with a scream before she could do so. "Ow. Why is the door – ?" The female winced, pressing her burnt fingers to her mouth. She stared at the door and gave it a grudging kick. Why wouldn't it just let her through? Stupid thing._

"_Momma?" She called again around the fingers in her mouth. Frowning, she glanced down the hallway again. No, she didn't think Momma was down there. _This_ door was the one that gave her the strange feeling. Like something was hiding behind it, waiting to be found. But she couldn't open it!_

_The girl huffed in irritation. What was it her mother had told her before. Concentration, that was it, wasn't it? The girl smiled to herself with a nod, closing her eyes and focusing. The door opened with a click and she easily pushed past it._

_As soon as she was inside she wished she could leave. No, not just wanted. She _needed_ to leave, before those billowing flames surrounded her and blocked her exit. But she couldn't move, not with the sight that stood in front of her. "M-Momma?" Her voice quavered and she bit her lip hard, ignoring the metallic taste that flooded her mouth._

_The thing in front of her was hardly human anymore, not with how the flames had consumed it. But that changed nothing. She could always recognize her mother, no matter what she looked like. Always…the flames fed on a piece of flowing red hair, making it black and distorted._

_The girl sobbed harder, forcing her feet to move, to take her away from the horrid sight, away from the blinding heat, and away from the daunting grief._

Panting, she leaned against the trunk of a tree at the city park. He was here, somewhere, he had to be! And she would get there, before it was too late, she'd get there…

She passed a hand over her brow, wiping it dry, and continued off into the night.

"_Did you hear what happened? Oh, it's just terrible. And you know what they say? That _child_ was practicing her magic and set the house aflame. That little brat started it all!"_

_Whimpering, she buried her head in her arms, trying to block out all the voices not even bothering to whisper their contempt for her. What had she ever done to them? She wasn't to blame! …Right?_

"_She has nowhere to go, now." One of them said. She didn't bother looking up to get a face. "She has no more family, no one that would take her in."_

"_Who would bother? That girl has _no_ magical prowess. She's a waste of time. Just throw her to an orphanage or something. Maybe they can find use for her, cleaning or something."_

"_Meg!" Another woman admonished, but there was a laugh in her voice. "Really, you can't sentence her to _cleaning_. She's a witch! Or she's _supposed_ to be, anyway. Either way, you can't send one of our kind to deal with those peasant fools."_

"_What, you want her? I'd just as soon be rid of her and the trouble she brings with her." The first woman said again. "It's not like she has any magical talent, anyway. Just send her to live with them. She'll fit right in."_

Her hair whipped against her face as she ran, looking desperately for the one she was seeking. Where was he!? He should be here! If she didn't get to him soon…

She saw a flash of white out of the corner of her eye and ran for it, hoping for her search to come to an end.

"Kuroba!" She screamed. It had to be him, it just had to.

"Koizumi?" A weak voice asked.

Koizumi Akako spun around until she found the source of the voice and couldn't hold back a gasp. The magician was severely battered and bruised, his face and suit bloodied and disfigured.

She flew to his side, pulling out the medical supplies she'd brought with her. "What happened?" She asked. She knew she had to keep him talking, keep him distracted from what she had to do.

"I don't know." He coughed, wheezing. She placed her hands over his chest, murmuring a few words and the pain eased slightly. "I was flying hone when something tore through the glider. It can't exactly fly with a hole in it."

"Where's the glider's remains?" Her hands now moved down his stomach, one of them grabbing an herb she had brought along and pressing it to a gash along his abdomen.

He winced, but answered, breathing easier now. "I don't know exactly, but I could've only been able to walk a few miles at the most. I came from the left, so it should be somewhere in that direction." He drew in a sharp breath when her hand brushed against a particularly bad bruise and he asked, "Why? Why're you helping me? How'd you even know I was hurt?"

"I've been practicing magic for many years, Kuroba. Prophesy is my specialty." _Though that's about all I can do._ She added bitterly to herself. She'd never had the talent for magic, after all, only the love of it. Still, she worked hard and was able to accomplish a few tricks, all of them in the dark arts area, of course.

"That still doesn't answer why."

Akako paused for a moment. "I…this world needs people like you, Kuroba-kun, people who can smile and give others strength. This world also needs people like Kid, a criminal fighting for justice."

"That's not an answer."

"Alright, fine. _I_ needed to know that a certain magician would still be there tomorrow when I walk into school." She continued tending to his wounds, looking him in the eye. "Your smile has a lot of power behind it, Kuroba-kun, the power to make people happy. If that smile disappeared when I knew there was something I could've done to prevent it, I'd never be able to look our classmates in the eye again, especially not Nakamori-chan."

Kaito leaned back with a smile clearly on his face. "Thanks."

--

**Alright, I feel like I haven't said this in a while, so I wanna remind everyone that I willingly take requests and will probably get them out faster than I do the rest of the stuff. Hopefully. **


	55. Fair Game

**Request from Saruhno. Hope you like it.**

--

Fair Game

"Why are we doing this again?" Conan asked calmly, glaring at his western counterpart.

"Cuz it's fun!" Heiji cheered.

"That's no excuse." Conan grumbled.

"Aw, loosen up, Kudo. It'll be loads of fun, just you wait." The Osakan threw his bag over his shoulder, grinning broadly.

That grin promptly vanished ten minutes later. "What's he doing here!?" Hattori demanded of his childhood friend.

"What're you talking about, Ahou! These courts are open to anyone! Don't go acting as if you own the place. Ahou," Kazuha added in as an afterthought. Hattori grumbled, shooting glares at the object of his dislike.

"What were you saying, Heiji-nii-chan?" Conan grinned in his cutely innocent way. "_This is going to be so much fun_."

Hattori deflated. "Whatever. Let's just play."

"Sure." Conan said. "Um…how _do _you play, exactly?" Heiji face-faulted.

"Jeez, don't even know how to play…" His mumbles were cut off by a young brunette stepping between them and offering a hand to Conan.

"Want me to teach you how to play, kid?" He asked, a wide smile on his face.

"Sure." Conan chirped. "I'm Edogawa Conan. Are you with Hakuba-nii-chan?"

"Yep, but unfortunately it seems proper English gentlemen don't play volleyball. Anyway, I'm Kuroba Kaito."

"Hattori Heiji. And this ahou with me is Toyama Kazuha." The boy managed to introduce without ever once halting his glare towards Hakuba.

"I'm Mouri Ran." The girl stepped in with a smile. "Would you like me to ref?"

"Sure." Ran walked to the side of the court and Kaito began explaining the rules to Conan. "Well, actually, I doubt Hattori-san will play too seriously with you, that is if he can even play, so mainly you should probably just focus on hitting the ball."

"Okay. Do you want to play with us?" Conan invited.

"You can team with the kid. Kazuha and I are playin' together." Heiji said from the other side of the net. Kaito agreed and the games commenced.

It wasn't until he'd nearly exhausted himself trying to get the ball that Conan noticed something strange. Even as tired as he was, the ball still managed to go over the net. Considering he was hardly putting any force behind his hits, that was odd indeed. And then there was his teammate…

Kuroba Kaito had apparently been playing volleyball for a long time. That was the only explanation for some of the moves he was pulling off. Heck, Conan wasn't even sure if some of them should be counted as points, even though Ran called them. He had a feeling she was biased because he was on the team.

Kaito tapped the ball with his fist and it went flying in the opposite direction around the pole, landing obediently right inside Heiji's court. "Okay, I _know_ that one was against the rules." Conan muttered flatly. Kaito sent him a grin. Ah hell, what did he care? He was winning!

--

Heiji swore under his breath as another ball flew right past him. Dammit, this was so rigged! What the hell was going on?

"Heiji-nii-chan," Conan called. Heiji picked up the ball, ready to serve, and glanced at the boy. "Can we make a bet? Say, the loser has to do what he winner says sort of thing?" Hattori shivered. He could swear Kudo's grin was just short of feral.

--

Omake

This was so not fair! Heiji pouted weakly, standing in front of a bizarre looking house that looked like it had come right out of the movies. Why did Kudo and that other guy, Kuroba or whatever, make him go here? What did he ever do to them!?

Actually, Heiji wasn't sure why he was so worked up about this. It was just a simple dare, right? Ring the doorbell, say something random, run like hell. That was all it entailed, right? What was so hard about that? He wasn't sure, but he knew that every fiber of his being was telling him to get the hell away. But it was a dare…

Gulping, Heiji reached up and rapped the snake-shaped knocker. After a few moments, the door opened and a beautiful young woman stepped out. Hey, maybe this wouldn't be so bad…

"Um, hi?" Heiji said intelligently.

"So this is the present Kuroba-kun promised." The girl looked him over slowly before turning and tossing her hair over her shoulder. "Throw his in the dungeon, Igor." She demanded. "We're going to have some…_fun_ later." Heiji whimpered.

--

**Let it be noted that I know practically nothing about sports unless its tennis, and all I know about that, I learned from Prince of Tennis, so…**

**Note for TopazledHannah-kun: I'll see about getting some Hakuba/Conan interaction in here. If you're interested in supernatural, I do have one sorta supernatural fic called Out of Body Experience. I'm also working on another one but I have no clue when I'll ever get that out. XD**

**May as well put it again: Always accepting requests and will try to get them out quickly.**


	56. Halloween Ghost Hunting

Halloween Ghost Hunting

I have a secret. I've never told anybody, no ever. They'd be scared, or think I was mad. But I'm not…I've seen them and I know they're real. But I still won't tell anyone. I'm special, but my uniqueness only lasts so long as nobody knows. If they know, they'd sentence me to insanity.

After all, it's not everyday you meet someone who can see ghosts.

--

"Co–nan-kun!" A small girl called, waving her hands wildly. "Conan-kun, I found a house we should check out. It's really haunted!"

"Ayumi-chan, there's no such things as ghosts." Conan said calmly, turning a page in his books. Beside him, Haibara yawned.

"Conan!" Genta slammed his hands on the bespectacled boy's desk. "Don't dismiss what Ayumi-chan's saying!"

"Yeah!" The science-obsessed boy agreed. "What did you find, Ayumi-chan?"

"It's this house on the edge of Beika. I heard about it from my neighbor and her friends. It's pretty far, so I don't know how we're gonna get there, but…it really is haunted! People have seen strange shadows in the house and these weird lights. We've gotta check that out, guys!"

Conan sighed. "What about your parents? They'll wonder where you are."

"Nu-uh! Okaa-chan said I could stay with a friend tonight, so she won't even know where I'm going."

"My parents won't mind if I go out with a friend. We'll just stay the night after we get rid of the ghosts!"

"Yeah, I'll just tell them I'm with you guys. It'll work."

Conan sighed again and Ai smirked at him. "Fine, we'll go. We'll tell them we're at Agasa's."

"He won't be able to drive us anywhere, you know. He's working on a new invention." Haibara said.

"We'll take the bus. I'll bring my skateboard along, too. But you can forget staying at the house. If its far and we don't get back on time…I'd really rather _not_ get grounded." Memories of his last punishment made Conan scowl.

--

The house was…big. That was the only thing they could think of. It was right on the edge of the district and was ridiculously enormous. It looked like something straight from a bad horror movie.

"It looks scary." Ayumi whispered. "Let's go!"

"Ayumi-chan…usually when people are scared of something, they want to get _away_ from it."

"Yeah, but…it's so cool!" Genta and Mitsuhiko nodded fervently and ferreted them all into the house.

"I wonder what kind of ghosts they are." Mitsuhiko put a hand to his chin the way they'd often seen Conan do when he was thinking.

"What sort of ghosts do you think there are?" Genta snorted. "I wonder if it was a murder!"

"Genta, there's no such thing – " Ayumi pouted at him and Conan changed his line of speech, "We don't even know if there's anything _in_ there."

"Don't we?" Haibara smirked at him. "I remember reading about this place a few years ago. I didn't remember until I saw the picture – they had a picture on the front page – but if I'm not mistaken, all the residents of this house were hanged. It was revealed a month later that they'd been wrongfully prosecuted for…treason, I believe it was."

"Treason?" Conan raised his eyebrows skeptically.

Ai shrugged. "I don't remember the whole story. Like I said, it was a few years ago."

"Um…what's wrongfully prosecuted?"

"It means someone was condemned, but weren't actually guilty. Unfortunately, it happens kind of a lot." Conan sighed. The kids just stared at him, seemingly lost. "Forget it."

"In other words, these ghosts won't be too happy." Ai translated. Conan glared at her. She wasn't supposed to be encouraging this stupid hocus pocus crap.

They wandered around the house, but it seemed normal enough. It was dark and shadowy, just like any old house. It really wasn't anything extraordinary, but…there was a _presence_ there, they could all feel it.

"Conan-kun, I don't think…I think someone's here."

"C'mon, Mitsuhiko, that's ridiculous. Who would be here except for people like us who sneak in for absurd reasons." Conan said flatly.

"It's not absurd!" Ayumi exclaimed. "There really are ghosts here, there have to be!" She started tearing up and Conan panicked.

"I – sorry. Um…Mitsuhiko-kun, why do you think there's anyone here. There are no traces on the floor."

"I – I dunno…I just _feel_ it. Like there's someone else here." Mitsuhiko frowned.

Conan cocked an eyebrow. He opened his mouth to say something when a noise creaked above them. Everyone jerked in surprise and stared at the floor over their heads. The kids crowded behind Conan and Ai and they all moved slowly up the stairs, feeling around in the dark. They'd turned their watch lights off as a precaution and were beginning to regret it.

"T-there's no one here." Conan whispered. His friends stared at each other, wide-eyed. Finally, he brushed it off and they explored some more, but when it happened the second time, Genta was the one that broke.

"Uh, you know, let's not stay the night here, huh? We should leave, like…now?" He said quietly. The others agreed quickly and they all hurried out of the house.

"Um, Conan-kun…could you tell Agasa I'll be by in a bit? There's something I want to do." Mitsuhiko asked.

Conan shrugged. "Sure, just hurry up."

Mitsuhiko nodded to him and turned back into the house. He walked calmly through the hallways until he came to the living room. He smiled pleasantly at the air. "Hello. My name's Mitsuhiko. What's yours?"

The form of a woman materialized in front of him. "You can see us?" She asked slowly?

He nodded. "Yup. Are you okay? That rope looks uncomfortable." The rope he was referring to was wrapped tightly around her throat in a noose.

She smiled brilliantly. "I'm Natsumi. Hi."

--

**Okay, so I got this put about 15 minutes late. Sorry.**


	57. Jealousy

Jealousy

"Ne, Kudo, I've noticed something lately." Hattori began, speaking to the now 13 year old Edogawa Conan. He had moved down to Tokyo after high school for college and was seeing a lot of the miniaturized detective as of late, as well as another certain detective. "How come you hate Hakuba Saguru so much? I mean, he's an annoying, arrogant asshole who always thinks he's right and is so – " Heiji continued on his Hakuba-rant for a good five minutes before returning to his original train of questioning. "So, how come ya don't like him? You never seemed to mind him that much back at that Detective Koshein and stuff."

Conan sighed, placing his book aside. "He's…too focused on Kid. He's an okay detective, he could easily be working murders like we are, but he doesn't. Instead, he only focuses on _Kid_."

Heiji blinked. "So? I mean, yeah, it's a waste, but he's an idiot and I'd rather not work with him anyway, so what's th' big deal?"

Conan rolled his eyes. "Even when there's a case right in front of him, he leaves it to the police in favor of dealing with Kid. If he spots something, sure he'll solve it, but if he'd just get his mind off Kid and do so from the get go…"

Heiji shrugged. "Hey, I totally agree with you. I dun' like him either. 'Was just curious why you didn't."

Conan picked up his book again. 'To be honest," He thought, 'I wouldn't mind him so much, but dammit! _Why_ does he have to focus so much on Kid? Damn thief is _mine_.' He growled internally.

He was just a little jealous of all the attention Hakuba gave Kid – not that he'd admit it. Kid was the type that reveled in attention and usually responded in kind. Which meant Hakuba was getting the attention Conan wanted. For some reason, that had the tendency to piss Shinichi off.

Kid was _his_, whether the thief liked it or not. Luckily, the thief did, so there wasn't any problems on that front, but…the stupid Brit was still an issue with Conan. The worst thing was that Kid didn't even realize he was paying so much attention to Hakuba. It was more of an instinctual thing, really. But, since he didn't know what he was doing, he couldn't understand why Conan was always getting upset, either.

If Conan asked, he was pretty sure Kid would figure it out and remedy the problem, but that entailed swallowing his pride first. Still, he was getting pretty damn close to doing so.

--

The next Kid heist was one Conan was unable to attend. Stupid curfew. Still, at least Hattori was able to be there. And Hakuba, but Conan didn't want to think about it…

Somewhere along the lines of the heist, Heiji managed to get ahead of Hakuba – for which he was very pleased and intended to rub it in the blonde's face for the next century and a half – and confronted Kid on the rooftop alone. However, instead of the usual banter that took place between thief and detective, the tantei began a different line of questioning.

"Hey Kid, you're Kudo's mysterious 'girlfriend', aren't you?" He demanded, thoroughly pleased when Kid froze. "Thought so."

Kid turned to him. "Why, Tantei-han, what ever is going though your mind there?" He asked calmly, but Heiji was sure he could see a trace of worry in Kid's eyes.

"I'm Kudo's friend and a detective. I _know_ the guy. Of course I'd be able to figure out that he was going out with someone. Figuring out who was a little harder, but since only a select few knew who he was…" Heiji smirked. "Besides, there had to be some reason he showed so much interest in a mere thief. Sure, you're a challenge, but you're not the only one out there and he's awfully protective of you…"

Kid huffed. "I am not a 'mere thief' as you put it." He held up his calm exterior for a moment before slumping in defeat and frowning. "What of it, Tantei-han? Going to convince him to turn me in?"

Now it was Hattori's turn to frown. "Why th' hell would I – Look, Kudo's been happier lately than I've seen him in ages. I'm his friend, I'm not about to go ruin that. Besides, when you get caught, it should be fair and square at a heist." Heiji took a deep breath. "I ain't gonna ask him to turn ya in. But, I am gonna ask you to do something and you damn well better do it. First off, if you hurt him, I swear to god, I'll get'cha." He threatened.

Kid raised an eyebrow, but dipped his head obligingly. "I have no intention of hurting him, Tantei-han." He said quietly.

"Good." Heiji said firmly. "Then stop paying so much attention to that damn Hakuba."

Kid blinked. "Huh?" He said intelligently.

"Idiot. Don't'cha realize he's getting all upset over it? The guy's beginning to really hate Hakuba, not that I blame him. Yer makin' him jealous of that stupid Brit!" Heiji barked out like it was the most atrocious crime on the planet. Kid's forehead creased and his frown deepened.

Before the figure in white could respond, a bellow from Nakamori echoed through the building and Kid noticed that standing on top of the building he'd booby trapped just for Nakamori-keibu might not be the best idea once said inspector found his way out of the booby traps.

"Ja ne, Tantei-han." Kid jumped off the building, extending his glider. Running to the edge of the roof, Hattori followed Kid's flight with his eyes and smirked when he noticed that path was headed straight for the large roof of the Kudo Mansion. Kudo had better be home and he'd better be grateful later. Hattori frowned suddenly. In order for Kudo to be grateful, he had to known who had talked to Kid. That would mean that he would know that Heiji had figured out who he was dating, cornered that person, and then told him something Kudo had been keeping secret. Sure, he was pretty damn sure Kudo would do something about it soon or explode, but…maybe now would be a good time for that trip to Osaka Kazuha kept bothering him about.

--

At age thirteen, Edogawa Conan was hardly old enough to live on his own. At age twenty-three, Kudo Shinichi sure as hell was. Fortunately, he could. With Shinichi gone for so long, people had given up hope for his return. The Kudo's gave their 'nephew' Conan the house as a gift on his tenth birthday. It worked out well, especially considering that Ran had moved out to live in a college dorm and Conan didn't fancy sticking around with only Mouri for company.

Still, the house was enormous. Shinichi was used to it, having actually lived most of his life here, but…well, it did tend to make things a little lonely, especially when he'd been in a rather depressing mood lately.

So here he was, lying on the couch, glaring at the TV that was projecting the Kid heist, and Sulking, complete with the capital letter. Currently, Nakamori was explaining something to the press, some nonsense about the gem; Conan wasn't really listening. The screen called his full attention, however, when Hakuba Saguru appeared. Just when the blonde opened his mouth to comment, the screen went black. Conan blinked in surprise. Sure, he'd been thinking of doing just that, but he'd lost the remote a few weeks ago and had been to lazy to get up and physically turn off the TV.

Pondering this, he became aware of a shadow standing over him. Tilting his head back, he was rewarded with the sight of beautiful blue eyes with a hint of purple, one glazed over by his monocle, before soft lips closed over his. It was a little awkward, being in the positions they were, but it was pleasant nonetheless. He was sure the crick in his neck would go away soon, anyway.

"Hi." Kid said, drawing back.

"Hi." Conan breathed. "What's up?"

Kid smiled. "I've just had a rather interesting chat. One that informed me of a few things." He moved around the couch and seated himself next to the boy. "Really, Tantei-kun, if Hakuba was bothering you so much, why didn't you just say something?" He said into the boy's brunette strands.

Conan stiffened, but Kaito pressed a kiss to his forehead and wound his arms around him. "I'm sorry." Kid whispered. "I didn't realize…"

"I know." Conan said softly, hands wrapping around the thief. He'd never blamed the thief for it; he knew that was just the way Kaito was. You get what you give and all that. That was just Kaito for you.


	58. Long Lost Truths

Long Lost Truth

Shinichi had many secrets. Some of them were the obvious ones, like not confessing his love or being Conan and all that. Some of them weren't.

Kudo Yusaku and Kudo Yukiko had always been very open with their son, hardly sheltering him from anything at all. For those reasons, sometimes Shinichi was a little resentful towards them. He'd been exposed to death at a very young age and he'd been exposed to loneliness and grief even before that.

People always found it odd that Shinichi was so apathetic about the fact that his parents had up and left him when he was 14, but then, he'd ever told anyone that he knew exactly why they'd done that. He wasn't their real son, after all. Oh, he knew they didn't care about that and that they still cared about him a great deal, but there were some things only parents could understand, some bonds that would only exist between bloodlines.

Still, he was glad that they'd told him as soon as he was old enough to understand. After all, it meant they weren't hiding the fact from him or that they were ashamed of it. He was grateful for that.

--

Mouri-Occhan had gotten another case. It was a simplistic one, but Conan enjoyed the chance it gave to stretch his legs. He'd gotten hurt just the week before and Ran had a field day keeping him from moving around. He wouldn't put it past her to get restraints and physically tie him to the bed. Yikes, that was a scary thought.

The case involved a teacher at a high school. Apparently there were suspicions that the teacher was laundering illegal materials, but there was no evidence that the client could bring to the police. The client, the principal of Ekoda, hired Mouri in hopes of acquiring at least enough information to fire him before he injured one of the students. In order to help, the principle called in a few of the students in the sensei's class, hoping they might be able to contribute anything.

While they didn't help much with the actual investigation, there was something about the students that Conan found particularly interesting. Namely, one particular boy who looked strangely like Shinichi should, albeit with messier hair.

Upon seeing him, two thoughts dominated Shinichi's mind. One, thank god Ran wasn't here or there could be trouble. Two, gotta talk to 'Kaa-chan and see if she knows something about this.

--

As soon as they got back to the agency, Conan excused himself to Agasa's house to make a phone call.

"Moshi moshi? 'Kaa-chan?" Conan's high-pitched voice asked.

"_Shin-chan? What is it, sweetie?_" Kudo Yukiko's melodious voice answered.

"'Kaa-chan, you and 'Tou-chan, when you adopted me…" Conan gulped. "Do you know if I have a twin?"

The line was silent a long time before Yukiko answered. "_I…I don't know for sure, Shin-chan, but I think so. The Kuroba had a child the same age as you that looked so similar…I never asked, but…_"

"I understand. Thanks, 'Kaa-chan." Hanging up the phone, Conan stared into space, pondering, for a long time, ignoring the confused looks that Ai kept giving him. Maybe it was time to do a little digging.

--

The class of 2-B stared in shock as their homeroom teacher was dragged off with a police escort. None of the teachers would tell them anything, just that he'd done something bad and he was going to pay for it. Frowning, Kaito wondered why they didn't just tell them the truth. They were old enough to handle it. Then again, they may have thought some of the students would take offense, or perhaps were in cahoots with the former-sensei. Kaito smiled slightly. Sometimes it was nice being on the other side of the law, especially when it meant he could take a little peek at school records and see that sensei had been arrested for drug use. Hmm, he wondered if Hakuba had heard about this.

They were sent to a different homeroom until the school could find a stand-in teacher. Kaito stood by Aoko, waiting for his new room assignment. Once he received it, he went to his locker to grab a new supply of tricks. If he was going to get moved around, may as well take advantage of it and play with a few people's minds. Once he opened the locker, however, all thoughts of mischievousness disappeared. Instead, he marched over to Hakuba and shoved the note in his face. The blonde looked at him like he was crazy for a few moments until Kaito spoke.

"Mind explaining the meaning of this, Hakuba?" Kaito nearly growled. He did _not_ appreciate getting a note like this.

"What?" He leaned back slightly in order to read the note and his eyes went wide. "You're adopted?" He asked.

Kaito glared. "How did you find out?" He demanded. When Hakuba didn't answer, he leaned closer, wrapping a fist around the Brit's collar. "What is the meaning of this note, Hakuba!?"

"How should I know? I didn't send it!"

"Who else – " Kaito trailed off, spotting something out the window. "Never mind. Forget this ever happened." Kaito walked of under Hakuba's astounded stare.

Outside the school building, Kaito leaned against the wall, staring down at the figure standing in front of him.

"Sorry." The figure said. "I didn't know how else to get your attention."

"Really?" Kaito's voice was hard. "You claim to be a detective, don't you? Surely you could have thought of something else."

"Detective? Really?" The figure wore a slightly mocking smile now.

"That's right. You're that kid who was hanging around Mouri Kogoro, weren't you?" Kaito said.

"Edogawa Conan."

"Right. Now do please tell me what this is all about. And how you found out I was adopted, too."

"Sure. Just as soon as you tell me what you know about Kudo Shinichi."

Kaito stiffened. "Why?"

"Did you know that Kudo Shinichi was adopted? That he was your twin brother?" Conan's glare sent shivers up Kaito's spine.

"…this really isn't the best place to discuss this, Tantei-kun."

Conan's eyes widened at the voice change in the teen before him. "You…yes, perhaps this really isn't the best place." He conceded. "Do you have anywhere in mind?"

--

**Okay, I had this idea and it sounded great in my mind, but I don't really like how it turned out on paper. Oh well.**

**Can someone tell me if Kaito lives in the Edoka province or the Ekoda province? Jeez, I hate small spelling error that change the whole word.**


	59. Captured

Captured

Conan frowned at the TV screen. Behind him, Ran was speaking somberly on the phone with a heartbroken Sonoko. Conan knew how the girl felt; he was feeling a little heart broken himself.

Currently playing 24/7 on the news was the miraculous capture of the Kaitou Kid. Personally, Conan couldn't see why they were making such a big deal about it. The police hadn't even released Kid's real identity yet. Then again, Conan supposed that was a good thing. He didn't know if he could stand it if he saw Kaito's face being smeared across the news.

It hurt, knowing that the magician was stuck in a jail cell down a t the department. He was a pursuer of justice, if Kaito had fallen to the police, it shouldn't mean anything to him, right? He shouldn't care, not when it came to a thief, but…it was _Kaito_. How could he _not_ care?

Conan swallowed, pretending that his eyes weren't watery. What could he do? He had to help Kaito, he just had to! Kaito had always been there for him, always helping him, keeping him sane (or as sane as the thief could ever get, which wasn't very). If Kid hadn't been there for him all the times he'd been about to fall apart or blow his cover, there's no way Conan would even still be alive at this point. So what about Kaito? Didn't he deserve the same in return? But what should he do!?

Sighing, Conan glanced back at the TV screen. Finally, they'd stopped airing the clip of Kid falling from the rooftop into the police's arms. Now, they were saying something about a police bust of a drug ring. Well, good for them. It was reassuring to know the police could do something without being lead by the nose. Wait a minute…drug ring? As in, huge group of people doing something illegal? Putting aside the narcotics component, Conan could feel and idea beginning to form. Now, how could he make this work?

"Ran-neechan? Can we go to the police department? I need to see Nakamori-keibu." Conan asked.

Ran looked down at him silently, taking in his sullen appearance. "Alright, Conan-kun. But let's stay out of their way, okay?"

"Hai."

--

"Ran-chan!" Satou Miwako startled, looking down at the woman she had just run into. "I'm sorry. What are you doing here?"

"Oh, it's fine, Satou-keiji. Conan-kun asked to come down here." She lowered her voice and leaned towards the policewoman. "He's been a little down ever since he heard about Kid."

Satou nodded in understanding. "Was he one of the ones that swore Kid wouldn't be caught by anyone else?" She sighed. "Honestly, I know how he feels. I can't believe Kid got caught! Even if he was a thief, you couldn't say that he was particularly _bad_. And he never let anyone get hurt."

Ran nodded. "I know. Sonoko's really upset over it, too. She believes that the Kid must be absolutely smitten with her." There was a note of amusement in Ran's voice, but most of it was sorrow and pity. After all, she'd never really believed the thief could get caught, either.

"So, where is Conan-kun?" Satou asked, changing the subject.

"Oh, he's talking with Megure-keibu and Nakamori-keibu. Although, I don't know why he wanted to. I'm not even sure if they'd see him."

Satou chuckled. "It'll be good for them to have a buffer. Megure and Nakamori have been fighting for a while now. They've never gotten along great and now that Kid is caught…I suppose Nakamori may have wanted to rub it in. After all, he did it without help. One of the reasons I'm out here, actually. Nakamori-keibu can be a little…loud."

--

Conan winced as a particularly loud yell echoed from behind the shut door. Was he sure he wanted to go in there? Sighing, he knocked, hoping they heard it over the shouts.

The door opened and Megure-keibu saw him. "Oh, Conan-kun! Is there something I can do for you?" He beckoned the boy inside, closing the door again.

The other man in the office glanced down at him. "Oh, weren't you that boy that used to chase Kid occasionally."

"Um…" Conan gulped, preparing himself. "Yeah, actually, that's why I'm here." The two inspectors arched an eyebrow and Conan began to speak.

--

Letting out a long sigh, Kaito shifted, trying to make himself comfortable. He supposed he should be honored in some ways. After all, not everyone got the courtesy of being treated as a high security prisoner. Heck, he couldn't even sneeze without earning a look.

It didn't help that his arms were bound behind his back uncomfortable with at least sixteen locks and his legs were bound in a similar fashion. At least they hadn't gagged or blindfolded him. Kaito supposed it was because they needed his face free to assure his identity.

That was it. There were no more masks to hide behind. He'd failed, failed to uphold Kid's name, failed to find Pandora, failed to condemn his father's killers.

Truthfully, he could be out of the restrictions in under a minute, but he didn't see what good it would do. He had around seven guards standing over him that would simply bind him again. Even if he could keep his arms and legs free, it wouldn't do much good. With so many guards watching him, he couldn't really escape, not without someone getting hurt. They'd stripped him of his work clothes, so he couldn't put any of his gadgets to use either.

Luckily, though, it didn't seem that they had released his name or face to the news. Or at least, that's what he'd picked up from Nakamori-keibu's screams. His family wouldn't be out in the spotlight by the media yet, then.

So now, all he had to do was wait to die. Even if his name wasn't released to the media, everyone knew Kid had been caught by now. The organization had thousands of insiders everywhere, police security wouldn't stop them from getting what they wanted. They didn't need his name to catch him; all they had to do was find the most secure cell and they had him.

A loud clang made him look up and he blinked at the sight that met him there. Nakamori-keibu was opening the cell for a small form whose wrists were cuffed together.

"Well, Kid, looks like you're only escape has given up hope. Your accomplice will be staying behind bars."

Accomplice? They hadn't caught Jii, had they? No, that small form certainly wasn't his father's old partner.

The figure looked up at him, blue eyes meeting his. Kid's jaw dropped. "Hey." The figure said.

Suddenly, the boy was engulfed by strong arms, pulling him against Kid's chest. The restraints were lying on the bed, still locked and bound together.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Kid hissed. His anger was countered by the fact that he was still tightly hugging the child.

"Saving your butt." Conan mumbled into Kid's neck.

Kid laughed disparagingly. "And how exactly do you plan on doing _that_?"

"We'll see." Conan smiled innocently up at him. Kaito quirked and eyebrow, but said nothing in response as the guards came in and rebound Kaito's limbs, still mystified at how he'd gotten out of them.

--

One of the guards outside Kid and his accomplice's cell glanced inside to where the two slept. Really, what kind of person was Kid to involve a child in his dealings? Although, they did look awfully cute, curled against each other like that. Still…

The guard blinked. Was that a…boom? He could've sworn that's what it sounded like.

"Ne, did anyone else hear that?" He asked the others. A few nodded and motioned for him to check it out.

The guard moved down the hallway warily until something dropped on his head. With a yelp, he fell to the floor. The other guards looked at each other, worried. Another one moved off to check on him and met the same fate.

"Hey, we need some back up here!" A guard said into his transceiver.

"Too bad." A gruff voice said. "No one can hear you up there."

One by one, the guards were attacked and fell until only a large man stood outside the once-high security cell. "Yo, kid." The gruff-voiced man said.

Conan's eyes slowly opened and he smiled sleepily at the man. "Thanks." Conan said, nudging Kid with his elbow. Kid woke with a start, staring around.

"What's this?"

Conan shrugged. "There are a few people indebted to me in the less-than-legal circles. Before coming here, I sent notice asking for a bit of help."

"Looks like the help came." Kaito freed his arms and legs before releasing the cuffs from Conan's wrists. "Let's go." He picked the lock to the cell and they were out.

--

Omake

Lounging in a chair overlooking the beach, Kaito glanced at his young companion. "Think I should send Nakamori-keibu a postcard?" He grinned.


	60. Theft

Theft

I have a secret. Well, okay, I have plenty of those. So does everyone else. But this one is different. No one knows. Sure, if you have a secret, no one is _supposed_ to know, but it doesn't always work out like that.

For example, it's a secret that I'm the Kaitou Kid, but at least a few people already know that. It's a secret that I'm looking for Pandora, but, once again, people already know that. But they don't know this one, none of them.

I already know where Pandora is. I have for years. Dad found it, back when he was Kid. He showed it to me when I was little. And then he got rid of it.

No, I'm not looking for Pandora. I never was. I know that what they're chasing is a legend, a ghost of one, now. And I'm fine with that. They can search forever for all I care, they'll never find it.

In a way, I guess I'm stealing because I want those guys to get caught. But I don't have to steal to do that. No, there's more to it than that.

I steal because that's what Dad did. I steal because it's fun. I steal because I _want_ to steal. I enjoy having the police chase me, getting challenged by detectives, all of it. I absolutely love the thrill and I wouldn't stop for anything.

It makes me sad sometimes because I know I won't stop. Not even if Aoko asked me. I…I don't deserve to become anything to Aoko, not after all these times that I've lied to her. And you know, in a way, I'm fine with that. Aoko can do much better than me and as long as she's happy, I can be, too. It sounds stupidly noble, but I've had enough time to think about it, enough time to some to terms with it, that it doesn't really bother me anymore. She'll always hold a special place in my heart, but it won't be that of a potential lover anymore. No, Aoko is my special friend, my sister, and I wouldn't give that up for anything either.

Still, I wouldn't stop, no matter how much someone asks me to. Stealing is what I do, its what I live for. To stop would be…it would be like cutting off the only source of excitement in this world. I couldn't live like that, I refuse to.

I don't want anything out of these thefts, just to have fun, to get chased. Maybe that makes me bad – I am braking the law, after all – but everyone has their passions and this one is mine. Besides, somebody has to keep those cops on their toes. Why not me?


	61. Connections

**Request by LazyTantei. This probably wasn't exactly what you wanted, but…**

Connections

Conan gaped up at the beauty walking before him. Something was weird about it, something…unnatural, though for the life of him, he couldn't figure out what. His head turned as he continued to watch as she walked by. Whoa. He didn't realize it was possible to that gorgeous.

A stampede of footsteps made him turn and he saw a huge group of men trailing after the beauty. What was that all about? Surely this place didn't have fanboys…did it?

"Conan-kun," Ran called, drawing his attention away from the students here. "C'mon, Conan-kun. I need to register on time if I want to get any of the good classes." Conan nodded and wandered after his guardian, thinking.

Mouri Ran was moving on. _Finally_, a part of his brain put in, but he shoved it aside. She was moving on with her life, forgetting about Shinichi, progressing into the world. Hell, here she was getting ready to enter college!

And here he was, not even ready to enter secondary school. Fate was truly cruel.

Actually, Conan had to admit, it didn't really bother him so much anymore. He _liked_ being Conan, liked being there for Ran as a little brother. Besides, Ran didn't threaten Conan with her karate near as much as she did Shinichi.

Time had passed, for both of them. And it had left its mark. For Ran, it was a way of seeing past the grief and into a world where not everyone was detective-obsessed. For Conan, it was living through this chance, allowing himself the opportunity to make life better, for himself and for others. Because, really, he had to face facts. Shinichi coming back _might_ make Ran happy and it _might_ make Shinichi happy, but the process of doing so, of getting rid of Conan, _that_ would make a lot of people unhappy, including both of them.

--

Koizumi Akako glanced behind her, surprised. There was a familiar presence around here, a foreboding one. Hmm… She dismissed her flocking males and wandered back the way she came. The aura had seemed strongest around here, but it had moved now. Where?

Frowning, Akako continued to walk around the school campus, looking for that presence. Where was it? And why was she so interested in finding it, anyway? The foreboding feeling she got could've meant anything…but it was familiar. That thought troubled her. Why would this presence be familiar?

It reminded her, as many things often did these days, of the unreachable man in the moonlight. Why would it? It certainly wasn't Kuroba's aura. But then…whose was it?

She seated herself on a bench and frowned. Why was this so troubling?

"Excuse me, Nee-san?" A young voice said next to her. Akako's head jerked up. _There_. _That_ was the aura she'd been feeling. But…a child? That couldn't be right. She knew the familiarity did not span from dealing with a child.

"What is it, boya?" She asked, her eyes calculating.

He smiled at her. "You're really pretty." He said simply, his blue eyes glittering.

Akako blinked. That was not what she had been expecting. She stared at him for a moment. Those eyes…they reminded her of Kuroba. Actually, everything about this boy reminded her of him. Why?

"Bai, Pretty Nee-san!" He waved and walked off, his cheeks pink.

Akako frowned. Something was not right. And something was niggling in the back of her mind, trying to get her to see something. Something to do with…clocks?

--

Shinichi was blushing profusely as he walked away from the beautiful woman. What the hell had he been thinking, just randomly complimenting the lady!? But…well, she _was_ pretty. She'd been looking at him funny, though. Maybe he was the first kid to have approached her like that? She did have a sort of unapproachable feeling about her.

"Wait, boya!" The woman's voice called. He turned in surprise to see her running after him. "Ne, boya, do you know anything about the clock tower in town?"

"Huh?"

Akako's eyes narrowed, but her face turned apologetic. "Sorry, it's just, you seemed familiar, like I've noticed you before. I could've sworn it had something to do with the clock tower…"

Conan blinked. She _noticed_ me before!? He almost squealed with glee. But, this clock tower thing…the only time he'd been around the clock tower was when Kid had tried to steal it. But he'd been Shinichi then. It couldn't be…did she know something?

"Well, whatever." Akako waved it off. She could always ask Lucifer about it later. "Thank you for the compliment, boya." She smiled at him and Conan turned bright red.

"Ah, um, my name's Edogawa Conan." He mumbled, embarrassed.

"Alright then, thank you, Edogawa Conan-san." She said.


	62. Would You Like a Drink?

**I had a sudden thought: What would it be like if Kaito and Shinichi were twin sons of Vermouth. While that's not a new idea – I've always liked it and attempted to use it a few times – this time I thought about what would happen if they were raised by her, together in the Org.**

Would You Like a Drink?

"Have you heard about those new agents?" A black cloaked man asked the man sitting in the neighboring seat at the bar.

"What, you mean Vermouth's favorites?" The second man snorted. "They're hardly new. Hell, I've heard rumors that they're actually her favorites because they're her sons. It was only after they killed that mystery writer, Kudo Yusaku or something, that they gained notoriety."

"Hmm. I wondered how they got so popular so fast. Wasn't Kudo that writer that was impossible to find? Something about running from his editors all the time."

"That's the one. And you might want to watch how much you talk about them. Rumor says the Boss is gonna send them on some high-key deal."

"Really? Huh, lucky bastards. Martini and Vesper…might be a good idea to remember those names."

--

"Geez, have you heard what they're saying about us now?" A young man with messy brown hair asked, pulling off his long black trench coat.

"For a supposedly evil organization, it seems like many agents spend a lot of time in the rumor mills." Another man who looked nearly identical to the first muttered.

"Don't you know, Martini? It's not gossip, it's information gathering. That's the whole point of having a huge criminal network!"

"Somehow, Vesper, I don't think that's quite what it was meant for." Martini sweatdropped. "So, what's new from the business side of things?"

"Hmm…seems like the agents have been quiet for a while. Maybe the Boss is on vacation – can't get clearance for murder without him, after all."

"I thought you said he called for us." Martini frowned.

Vesper shrugged. "Coulda been wrong. Wouldn't hurt to check though. Not showing up when you're called for is _bad news_."

"Wouldn't be surprised if it was all your fault, too."

"Hey! Is that any way to speak to your partner, Aniki!?"

--

The two black-clad men walked calmly through a deep chamber in what was once a very prominent cake factory. Why the cake factory had been converted into headquarters for a criminal syndicate, no one was quite sure, but it _was_ unexpected, or so they supposed as the munched on tart cakes with their alcohol of choice.

When they reached a door at the end of the hall, they knocked briefly and were quickly beckoned inside. The broad back of a chair faced them as a deep voice spoke. "You have new orders. Martini, you're going to be infiltrating the FBI. Talk to Vermouth about the specifics, she'll brief you on the threats and the contacts. You're job is to find Akai Shuichi and take care of him."

"Yes sir." Martini bowed, even though the Boss couldn't see it.

"Vesper, you'll be working with Snakebite. He's moving too slow, I want you to speed things up a bit. You're target is Kaitou 1412. Don't kill him right out. If possible, we want him to find the Pandora Gem for us. Once he makes off with one, take it from his corpse."

"Sir." Vesper's bow was more extravagant than Martini's, even without an audience to see it."

"Dismissed." The Boss said shortly.

--

**Shinichi: Martini is a cocktail made with Gin and Vermouth. Slang for it is "Silver Bullet" because of it "is clear, potent, and never misses it's mark." In the manga, Shinichi is considered by Vermouth to be a possible Silver Bullet for the organization. Other members consider Akai Shuichi to be their enemy.**

**Kaito: Vesper is a Vodka Martini created by the author Ian Flemming for his character, James Bond.**

**Snake: Snakebite is a beer cocktail. Since the organization all has alcoholic names and Snake is assumed by many fans to be part of the org, it makes since that Snake would simply be a nickname for him.**


	63. Fear

Fear

Everyone thought Shinichi was fearless. They were wrong, of course. He was just like any other human, with fear of abandonment, isolation, and the unknown. But one thing he'd never had to worry about was the fear of getting arrested. Shinichi was bound with an undeniable amount of devotion to the law and would never do anything to compromise it.

Conan was different. His very existence broke multiple laws. The way he lived his life broke even more. And it scared him. He claimed to live by the truth, but he had practically no regard for the laws anymore. He broke them without a second thought. And that scared him. As it should! He was a detective, he should follow the laws closely! But…he didn't. He should, but he didn't.

Did that mean he wasn't a good detective? Did it mean he was a total hypocrite? But, he already knew that much. Just look at his current position. His saying was "There is only one truth," but he lied on a daily basis.

What if it meant that he might actually become a criminal himself, outside of breaking the law to survive? But…not all criminals were bad. Just look at Kaitou Kid! He returned what he stole and he didn't let anyone get hurt.

But that was Kid, not Conan. Kid was a showman, as well as a thief. Conan was more the sneaky type, gathering information and hiding it, operating in the dark, hidden from prying eyes.

So, if he wasn't like Kid in that aspect, could that mean he wasn't like him in others? Conan was pretty sure that if he stole something, he wouldn't give it back. If he didn't want it, he wouldn't steal it in the first place!

So here was the scary part, the part Conan feared most. Was it possible that he could hurt someone without a second thought?

But wasn't the answer to that already a yes? Here he was hurting Ran everyday and he only thought about it when it hurt him, too.

So…did that mean he could kill without hesitation, too? And how the heck was he supposed to find the answer to that!?


	64. Mind

**Okay, so I've been reading Yugioh lately…it shows.**

Mind

It could be argued whether or not Kaito had plenty of empty space in his head. Still, even with all that space, he thought it odd that his mind could stand to house two souls.

One was his own, of course. The area of his mind that he occupied consisted of a room. The room was…filthy, for lack of a better word. Magicians were pack rats and it showed. It didn't help the mess that he remembered everything he heard and saw. Each new piece of information was an addition to the clutter. However, even with the mess, the room was very comfortable. There was a warm feeling to it, a protective one.

There was a second room in his mind, one that didn't belong to him. This one was shadowed and also cluttered, though there was less variety among the mess. The room seemed dark, but it also had a protective aura around it. This room did not belong to a malicious person, but a secretive on, the shadows hiding the place attested to that. The owner of this room was Kaitou Kid.

Flipside

He'd never been normal. That had been clear since his infantry. Still, he tried his best to fit in, to have fun with his peers, even if they couldn't be considered equals.

However, he knew he couldn't hide the new change in his life. Instead, he had to hide his old life and live this new one. But his old life never left him, not ever.

Edogawa Conan settled down to sleep, a smile on his face. As unconsciousness came upon him, he found himself in a small room.

The room was originally much bigger, but it found itself split in half along with the changes in his life. His side of the room was innocent and clear. Pictures of his friends and loved ones lined the wall and little gadgets and toys scattered on the floor. However, one corner stood out from the rest of the room. It was darkened, stained the color of blood. Conan sighed. The stain was spreading, signifying the number of murders he'd run into lately.

Shaking his head, he moved to the door that joined the once-whole room's halves. Slipping inside, he took in the appearance. This room was vastly different from his. File cabinets lined the walls and a few toys were on the floor, but not many. The room was shrouded in a reddish shadow. Of course, the murder toll was higher on this side and it showed. The secrecy ad the lies also showed.

"Shinichi," He called softly.

A form in the shadows shifted and emerged in the figure of a young man. "Conan," It said softly.

Conan smiled and hugged the man. Times were hard on them both, but he could still provide comfort to his other self. And Shinichi returned the favor, guiding and protecting him.

He wasn't always lying when he said he learned something from Shinichi/ his other self was always there, helping him find the answer.

--

**Flipside was originally supposed to be an omake, but since it turned out longer than the original story...well, just consider this a two-parter.**

**Remember, requests are always welcome. **


	65. Confidential Talk

Confidential Talk

Kaito had many secrets, none the least of which was his status as an internationally wanted criminal. And this – this _person_ expected him to just spill them all out of good faith so that she could help him. Right, like he'd risk himself like that.

Still…it would be nice to talk to someone about it. Sure, Jii was great, but he was also a lot more used to the idea of breaking the law, having done it for much longer. And this person _was_ sworn not to repeat anything she'd heard from him… Maybe this wouldn't be such a bad idea…

Standing outside the office door, Kaito has to think that yes, this was a very bad idea. He had no clue what could happen! Still, no going back now. He walked inside and the secretary bade him to make himself comfortable, they'd be with him in a moment.

Kaito did as requested, going over the choice in his mind again. Apparently, he'd been very distant lately and someone had come to the assumption that he was depressed. From there, his mother had found out about it and wanted to get him help, thus, his current presence in the local psychiatrist's office.

His head jerked up at the call of his name and he entered the next room as bid. Inside, a pretty woman with short black hair pulled back in a bun and a fancy-but-comfortable outfit welcomed him.

"Good morning. I'm Nakashima Shizuka."

Kaito's smile was slightly awkward. "Hi, I'm Kuroba Kaito."

"Well, I hope I can help you, Kuroba-kun. Now, what can you tell me about your problem?"

Kaito sighed, plopping down in a comfortable chair. "Well, see, it's like this. I'm not exactly a normal guy, you know? I grew up without a dad, my only real friend has been with me for ages, I sort of consider this blonde detective my friend, the guy I look to as my sort father is a police inspector, and…I'msortofbreakingthelaw." He spit out quickly, not really believing he'd actually done so.

Nakashima-sensei blinked at him, her smile slowly dissolving. "Coma again?"

"I'm…sort of but not really breaking the law."

"I…see. And…how exactly do you 'not really' break the law?" She asked him/

"Well…I _am_ breaking it, but I'm sort of un-breaking it at the same time." He paused. "That doesn't make any sense does it?" She shook her head and Kaito groaned in response. "I'm Kaitou Kid." He muttered.

"What?"

"I'm Kaitou Kid. _That's_ how I sorta, not really break he law. See, I break it by stealing, but I _return_ what I steal, too. I don't want the stupid jewels. I just wanna find what they killed him for."

Nakashima-sensei's eyes were wide. "Who?" She whispered. "Who was killed?"

"My dad. They killed him because he wouldn't steal it for them."

"Who's 'they', Kuroba-kun?"

"I don't know." He admitted sadly. "I don't know."

--

**If you're wondering why Nakashima is sworn not to relay their conversation to the police, it's because of Doctor-Patient Confidentiality.**

**Sorry it's been a while. Remember, I still take requests! And for those of you who have given them, I will try to get them out as soon as possible.**


	66. Arrest

Arrest

"Well, Kudo, I sincerely hope you are more talented than I gave you credit for, because as soon as this gets out…"

Conan gave out a frustrated sigh. "I _know_, okay? When this gets out, we're as good as dead. It won't take the Black Organization long to figure out who and where we are. Dammit!" He slammed his fist against the badly padded bed. Currently, the two diminutive teenagers were locked in a 8' by 8' cell in the police station, under arrest for fraud. To make it worse, prosecution was pending until they could gather evidence for other charges. "I knew, I _knew_ they suspected us, or rather, me, but I never thought they'd get a court order! I mean seriously!"

"Looks to me like poor little Kudo-kun can't function when the tables had been turned." Haibara said snidely. Apparently, she wasn't taking her imprisonment too well, either, though that may have had something to do with the fact that it could easily be her death sentence.

"Of _course_ I don't 'function well'! Most people don't when they're under arrest!" Conan sighed again, his hand moving to his nose in a gesture to push his glasses up. Problem being, his glasses, along with any other object on his person they deemed could be dangerous, had been removed in a full-body search before he was thrown in here. "It's just…at this point, we've either got to escape or resign ourselves to whatever the Org. decides to but us in for. For me, that probably just means instant, if not painful, death, but for you…"

"They'll likely decide to torture me for information. The secret of the apotoxin is a deadly weapon many would do less for. Then, of course, there's the fact that I've embarrassed Gin so many times…he'll definitely want redemption. Or revenge, which ever one the Boss allows." Haibara's voice was amazingly calm for their current predicament.

Conan smiled bitterly, "I just wish there was someone who could help without signing their own death warrant."

--

On the other side of town, thing were going normally for class 2-B, as normal as things ever went with a certain Kuroba Kaito in the class. But, as was the usual routine in math class, he was currently lounging in his seat, a foreign newspaper spread between his hands. The teacher continued to drone on about one concept or another and the class continued to ignore her, for the most part, until a large cloud of smoke appeared with a 'poof'.

Kaito, being the only magician in the class, was of course turned to with the blame, and rightfully so, as a small dove made its way out of the cloud of smoke and settled on his shoulder, hooting something into his ear.

Remarkably enough. Kaito's undivided attention was suddenly focused on the bird as it continued to chirp. Finally, when it was finished, it settled down for a nap in his hair and Kaito was suddenly moving, excusing himself from class and exiting the room in a flash.

"Damn, damn, damn, damn," He whispered the mantra under his breath as he never once stopped. The dove, Shiro, had been one of the watchers he'd assigned to his little Tantei-kun. Shiro had politely informed him with a minimum of profanities that the detective had managed to get himself caught, Mouri-chan having worked with the police to gather evidence.

He couldn't believe it. He knew that Mouri-chan had been understandably upset, but he'd never imagined that she'd be so _stupid_ as to corner the detective without thinking about it. Anyone who knew the detective knew that he'd only lie like he had if he had a very good reason, such as a proverbial gun pointed at his head.

Kaito rushed towards the police office, hoping desperately that he wouldn't be too late.

--

**This one came to me as I was trying to go back to sleep and wouldn't leave me alone. Originally, I had this whole idea for the ending, but as soon as I actually got to the part where I would use it, the idea abandoned me! I can't remember any of it! So, instead, you get to be left with this little cliffy.**


	67. Reassurance

**Sorry I haven't posted in a long time. I don't really have an excuse, but Writer's Block is a bitch.**

**Anyway, hope you enjoy!! **

--

Reassurance

Slamming the door to his two-room apartment shut, Shinichi threw his keys across the room in a fit of anger. That jerk! He just…he'd played him. That's all he was, a game…

Shinichi bit his lip and sank to the floor. Dammit, he wasn't this weak! He shouldn't be this torn up, not over someone who saw him as a toy.

No, he didn't care. He wouldn't care. And then all the pain would go away and the knife wound to his chest would vanish…right?

--

"Kudo!"

Shinichi froze. No, he couldn't be here now. Shinichi had work to do, dammit, he couldn't afford to mess with anyone, especially not him. "I'm busy." He murmured, speeding up.

"No, Kudo, wait, please." A hand grasped the cuff of Shinichi's suit. "Please, just listen to me."

"Why should I?" Shinichi growled, attempting to ignore the stares of his colleague.

"Because I want you to know why."

"I don't want to know." Shinichi mumbled.

"Let me tell you."

"I don't want to know!" Shinichi insisted. However, he didn't resist near as much as he should have when the hand pulled him away.

--

"Shinichi."

"Don't call me that!" Kudo hissed.

"Then what should I call you?"

"Just…not that…" Shinichi bit his lip again, almost ashamed of how close he was to crying.

"I'm sorry."

"For what? For playing with me? For using me to get to the jewel? _What_ could you _possibly_ be sorry for!?"

"I'm not playing with you."

"No? Then what do you call it? You've been stringing me along, toying with my emotions, all for what? So you could have a laugh before you left with the gem?"

"No. I didn't – I'm not laughing. I'm definitely not laughing. I just – "

"Just what? Forget it, I don't want to hear your excuses." Shinichi declared.

"Did it ever occur to you that _I_ needed to know!? That I had to be sure you weren't the one playing with me? Waiting for me to try to steal the gem?"

"What – ?" Shinichi began, confused.

"Think about it. You wouldn't have looked at me twice if I weren't trying to steal the gem you're protecting. I had to know if that was all you were interested in."

"And?" Shinichi swallowed. "What did you decide?"

Shinichi's only answer was the soft lips that pressed against his own.

--

**And I'm sure you can all guess who the thief is, no?**

**I know it's short and kind of vague and fast-paced, but it just hit me all of a sudden while I was watching The Thomas Crown Affair and i felt like writting it, so....yeah, hope you liked.**


	68. History At Last

**For nataeiy1. Hope you like it.**

--

History At Last

A shadowy figure sighed deeply. Things really could get so boring around here. Oh, it was fun most of the time, but the fact that he couldn't understand most of what everyone was saying could really get on his nerves.

How _had_ he ended up in the Greek Afterlife, anyway?

Although, from what he understood of it, he was quite lucky. He could have ended up in Tartarus rather than the Elysian Fields, considering his career while alive. Even if he'd stolen in a good cause, it was still considered wrong to steal. Actually, that particular part made him glad he'd somehow ended up in the Greek range of things. If it were Egypt, he might not have passed the weighing of the soul.

Something had always struck him as strange, though. For one, wasn't he supposed to have paid to cross the River Styx? But he didn't think his wife would've buried him with a coin on his lips. Also, there was the little matter of his memory. He'd research Greek Mythology briefly in his search for Pandora – it was a Greek name after all, most likely coming from the myth of Pandora's Box – and he was pretty sure it had said something about losing your memory in the afterlife. Made less problems over lifetime grievances and the possibilities of a loved one going to Tartarus.

So…why could he remember everything? Sure, it wasn't as clear as his memory had been while he was alive, but that was to be expected. Memories like the ones in his family weren't common.

He was grateful for it, though. The fact that he could remember his family allowed him to watch over them, to a certain extent. Still, there was only so much he could do.

He wondered if there were some purpose he was supposed to fulfill. Maybe that was why he could remember things when the others – the few he could understand, anyway – obviously couldn't.

Sighing, he began walking along the beautiful fields until, abruptly, a dark chasm seemed to open below him, swallowing him up.

Next thing he knew, his eyes were blinking open to stare at a throne and sandaled feet. A frown creased over his face and his gaze moved up to a bearded face. "Uh…"

"Kuroba Toichi," A booming voice echoed from the bearded man, "You've been called before the Lord Hades, God of the Underworld and All It's Occupants."

Gracefully rolling to his feet, Toichi bent over in a showman's bow. "Was there something you needed from me, My Lord?" He asked in Japanese, surprised that he could even understand the god.

"As you've seen, your son has begun a new life, one under which he'd do much better with your assistance, wouldn't you say?"

Toichi bristled slightly. "He's doing quite wonderfully on his own, My Lord."

The god chuckled lightly, emitting a rather frightening sound. Never piss off a god, that would be a good thing to remember.

"Of course. In any case, you are here to have a little…_chat_ about the item he seems to be searching for."

"Pandora," Toichi uttered, "What about it?"

"We know the story behind why you searched for it. Your son has taken up the mantle of a thief to search for it also. However, there are things about Pandora that no human ought be exposed to."

"My son is no ordinary human." Toichi defended.

"Perhaps, but that would not change his fate. Pandora is a very unique item, the tear of the Goddess Demeter. It was shed when her daughter, Persephone," At this, he inclined his head slightly to the beautiful women next to him, "left her. Demeter is the goddess of fertility and the crystallized tear that fell to Earth was believed, by the humans that found it, to give life, as it were."

"And thus a myth is born." Toichi nodded. "But that doesn't sound like something that would have terrible retributions on my son should he find it. Unless, of course, you're referring to the men trying to kill him. But somehow, I don't think you are."

"Quite right. The gift of life was a blessing to the humans on earth, seeing as they couldn't produce it themselves, being all men. However, Zeus took possession of this gem and sealed it in a box together with all the evils of man kind, leaving it possession of the first woman, Pandora. As you may have heard from the myths of old, Pandora could not resist temptation and opened the box, the contents of which were unknown to her, releasing all the evils. Inside the box as well, hope was hidden, along with the gem.

"At first, the gem was perceived as a treasure, especially with all the famine that had come upon the human race. However, all the humans born of this gem were afflicted with various diseases and other such fatal punishments. Once it was considered a curse, the gem was christened Pandora, after the woman who had unleashed the horrors of the world.

"For a great deal of time, the jewel was held in contempt. However, as time passed, and life changed for humans, this was forgotten. New rulers took over, new cultures emerged, and Pandora was all but lost."

"Except to those willing to kill for it, apparently." Toichi said gravely.

"Humans have never needed an excuse to kill." Hades said with disgust. "These killers shall pay for their lifetime deeds, whatever they may be, when the time comes. However, Pandora must not be exposed to this world again."

"And you think my son might find it?" Toichi asked. "He intends to destroy it."

"Intentions mean nothing, it's his actions that will cost him. If he finds Pandora, it will fall into the hands of humans once more."

"So what is it you want?" Toichi questioned.

"Pandora has been sentenced to an eternity of exile. The gem which bears her name deserves the same fate."

"Is the gem really _that_ bad?" Toichi had to ask.

Hades looked at him down his long nose. "Only gods may control the Fates of humans."

"Ah." Toichi chuckled. "But you still haven't told me what it is you want from me."

"You will help your son find Pandora. And then you will turn it over to the gods of Olympia, after which both your memories shall be purged of anything to do with Pandora."

"That doesn't exactly sound like a motive to help."

"You don't need a motive, Kuroba Toichi," The God of Death said clearly. "You will do as I say."

Toichi frowned. He hated being told what to do. But it would be a chance to see his son in person again. Maybe he could even pass on a message to his wife.

And Pandora, he really would like to finally see the end of her. And the men who strived to harm his family in order to find the damn Lady.


	69. Confrontation

**By request of Sony Boy. Sorry it took so long.**

--

Confrontation

On an empty rooftop, two figures stood facing each other, one of them a great deal shorter than the other.

"Well, well, Tantei-kun. What could you possibly want, arranging to find me alone up here?" Kid smirked at him.

"You…" Conan panted, "I needed to talk to you…about those shadows trying to kill you."

Kid's eyes went wide and a look of mock horror crossed his face. "Kill me? Now, now, Tantei-kun, I know I'm not the most favored person in the world, but to _kill_ me?"

"Stop joking around, Kid." Conan scowled.

"Why would I joke about something so serious, Tantei-kun?"

"You – " Conan paused. What if Kid was telling the truth and they weren't trying to kill him? They why…? "They're not working _against_ you, so they're…" Conan's eyes went wide and he looked at Kid fearfully, "working for you." He whispered.

"Very good, Tantei-kun. You know, it's a shame we have to dispose of you. You always did make the chase more exciting. But, the Boss wouldn't be held off any longer, no matter how much Vermouth wanted to spare you." As Kid spoke with a grin on his face, Conan's eyes darted around, trying to find an escape. He couldn't believe he'd been so stupid as to trap himself alone with the thief! Surely he hadn't acted so foolishly; Kid had a no-harm policy…didn't he?

Had Conan really been so blinded by t that he ignored the basic instincts of survival?

Strangely enough, Kid began to take off his signature white tuxedo. Smirking at Conan's surprised/horrified expression, he explained, "I'd hate to tarnish Kid's hands with your blood. _My _hands, however, are perfectly fine." He said this, pulling out a gun. "Bye bye, Tantei-kun."

--

Alternate Ending

On an empty rooftop, two figures stood facing each other, one of them a great deal shorter than the other.

"Well, well, Tantei-kun. What could you possibly want, arranging to find me alone up here?" Kid smirked at him.

"You…" Conan panted, "I needed to talk to you…about those shadows trying to kill you."

Kid's eyes went wide and a look of mock horror crossed his face. "Kill me? Now, now, Tantei-kun, I know I'm not the most favored person in the world, but to _kill_ me? Really, what did I ever do to you?" Kid laughed.

"Oh, nothing personal, I'm sure." Conan shrugged, "Actually, from what I hear, you're giving them quite a bit of trouble."

The smile dropped from Kid's face. What sis that mean? How would Tantei-kun know anything about what had happened between Kid and Snake?

"That idiot has had orders to kill you for nearly 12 years now," Conan said conversationally. "of course, he doesn't realize that the eight year gap between Kid's activities actually meant something. That fool. It was obvious to anyone with eyes that you weren't the same Kid as before. Well, no matter. The Boss is tired of hearing Snake's excuses. It's been passed onto me to take care of you." Conan grinned. "We'd have preferred if you'd gotten us Pandora first, but you've become too much of a liability to let live." He cocked a gun. "Sorry, but like I said: it's nothing personal."

--

**Well, it's not exactly what you probably wanted, but oh well. Hope you all liked it.**


	70. Revelations

Revelations

"Ano…Kuroba-senpai," An underclassman girl with long dark hair called him. Looking up in surprise, Kaito smiled and followed her out into the hall. "Kuroba-senpai…I – I love you! Please go out with me!"

Kaito blinked, a frown settling on his face. "I'm sorry. I'm already seeing someone else."

"B-but! But Nakamori-senpai already has a boyfriend!"

"Eh? Wait, what!? Aoko has a boyfriend!?" A look of pure delight crossed the magician's face as he dove back into the classroom to interrogate his friend. "Aoko! What's all this I hear about a boyfriend!?"

Aoko jumped and blushed brightly whilst many other students watched Kaito, expecting some sort of disapproval from him. After all, those two were practically married already…right?

"Is it true?" Kaito asked. "I wanna meet him, I wanna meet him!" He bounced around chaotically. "What's he like? Who is he?"

"W-well, his name is Hattori Heiji. He's a – um – detective…from Osaka…"Aoko stumbled out.

"A detective? And from Osaka?" Kaito frowned. "Are you going to be okay in a long-distance relationship? I mean, doesn't Hattori-san have some sort of girl that's always following him around?"

"Yes, she's his friend, his childhood friend." Aoko smiled. "I'm fine, Kaito, don't worry."

"Senpai…" They turned to see the girl who had confessed. "If…if it's not Nakamori-senpai…who could you be going out with? Please date me!" She looked at him with teary eyes.

Kaito twitches. "I'm sorry."

"What!? Kuroba's dating someone!?"

Kaito's face turned red. "Um…did I mention I had something to do? Like, somewhere _not near here_?"

"During Math?" Hakuba raised an eyebrow.

"Yep, that's right. It's a, um, doctor's appointment. I've contracted a rare and unusual disease that requires immediate attention. Bye." And with that he vanished.

"Kaito, wait!"


	71. Bad Timing

**I was watching the Twelfth Movie, A Full Score of Fear, and there's one part at the end where Conan leads Ran on as "Shinichi." Well, as usual, Ran shouts his name and it made me think…What would happen if Gin or Vodka just happened to be in the area and heard her? Although it would most likely need to be Vodka because Gin doesn't remember the names of people he kills, but yeah.**

--

Bad Timing

Shinichi sighed in misery as he thought about how long it had been since he'd seen Ran face to face as himself. 'Almost a year, probably. I talk to her often enough…well, probably _not_ often enough, but I still talk to her much more than I've seen her.'

He glanced up at the woman he was forced to call 'neechan.' Hmm, maybe…maybe there was something he could do.

Oh, he knew there was no way Haibara would let him use one of the antidotes, but that didn't mean he couldn't make Ran _think_ she was seeing Shinichi somehow, right?

--

It had taken a lot of work, but finally he'd prepared the perfect situation. Smiling slightly to himself as he held the voice changer up to his mouth in the shadows of a large oak tree. It was nearly dusk, the perfect time for this to work. It would cause problems if people noticed a teenagers voice coming from a little kid. Besides, he wanted to talk to Ran personally.

Right on schedule, Ran came barreling into the park, shouting "Shinichi!" at the top of her lings. Conan winced. As much as he appreciated the fact that she wanted to see him, surely she didn't have to be _quite _so loud.

--

A few meters away from where Conan was secretly conversing with his not-girlfriend, a portly man wearing a black Fedora jerked from his slight nap as the loud feminine voice cut through the quite atmosphere.

'Funny,' He thought to himself, 'that name sounds familiar…'

Frowning, he stumbled closer to the source of the voice until the only thing blocking his view of the girl was the sparse branches in a bush.

"Sorry its been so long, Ran." A deep male voice said.

The black clothed man frowned. 'I know that voice…didn't it belong to someone with the police? No, it wasn't the police, it was…that detective! The detective brat that we killed, who has even been suspected of working with Sherry! But…what could he be doing here? We _killed _him. And Aniki doesn't mess up. How could he be alive?' Vodka thought to himself, a frown stretching deeply across his features.

'So this brat is alive, even though Aniki _definitely_ killed him, and he's working with that traitor…what if the boss finds out!? Aniki and I would be in deep shit.' Refraining from biting his lip in nervousness as the image of his boss appeared, he pulled out his gun, screwing a silencer onto the barrel. 'I'll kill the detective brat and his girlfriend. Is there anyone else in this park? No matter, I'll just kill them too if I have to.'

Sneaking around the bushes a little more, he aimed for the girl. 'The detective is hiding behind the tree, but surely he'll come out if his girlfriend is in trouble.' He grinned.

--

Ran let out a sound almost like a cross between a gasp and a scream when blood spurted from her torso. "Sh-Shinichi!" She gasped out.

Hardly hesitating at all, Conan burst out from his hiding spot, racing towards Ran, not even surveying his surroundings for any sign of Ran's attacked.

Fearfully, he looked over the wound, expecting the worse. His expectations weren't far off. The bullet appeared to have punctured her lung, although he couldn't be sure.

'Have to get her to a hospital, fast! Worry about cover stories later, need to save Ran!' The thoughts raced around his head frantically. How was he to carry her? He was much to small and weak, dammit!

--

'Huh? A kid? But wasn't…oh well, he's a witness. Have to take care of him.' Vodka did not relish taking children. They never really did any harm and he didn't see any reason they should have to die, but he clearly couldn't bring the kid back to headquarters, not without explaining his obvious mistake. Besides, the kid looked near the age where recruitment would be a pain. Boss preferred them younger, without the influences of busy-body adults with pathetic moral views of the world. Anyway, a witness was a witness and needed to be taken care of. Sending a silent apology to the boy, he took aim once more, just as the boy was pulling out his cell phone. 'Sorry, Kid, can't have that. This time, he plotted a head shot. He didn't want to make the kid suffer or give him any chance to call for help.

--

**Moral of the story: If the love of your life has randomly disappeared with no explanation, expect the worse and do not loudly scream their name in public. It could be hazardous to your health.**

**One another note, does anyone know what's going on with 's system? It's not working right and it makes it a real pain to upload anything.**


	72. At Odds

**For gemininus. Forgive me?**

**Just so you know, though, it's fun making the characters evil. Seriously.**

--

At Odds

He was unwanted. That was what they were always whispering behind his back. They thought he couldn't hear them. He could, he always could.

Sensitive hearing had always been a gift of his, he realized early on. Too bad no one was there to notice. The talent could've gone towards something productive. Or at the very least, something less lethal.

--

Growing up on the streets of New York was not a circumstance on should wish on anyone. The weather was harsh and the people cold. There was never enough food, never enough shelter. It never got better.

Of course, growing up, he hadn't realized there was any other way to live. His parents – or so they grudgingly admitted to – told him that life was the way it was for them because someone had offended god. He took their word for it, but he'd never met god; he couldn't possibly have offended someone he never met.

It was harder for him than it was for his siblings. They were treasured and fed properly, but by the time he'd come around, they'd already gotten used to the cute-kid phase and were more concerned with the additional mouth to feed.

He never got enough to eat. When he was five, though, a new person came to their area. He was a strange person, always wearing dark glasses and saying weird lines he hardly understood. He was nice, however, and shared food with him when there was some to share.

--

When he was seven, he'd already accepted the fact that they didn't want him with them. What he couldn't figure out was what to do about it. He knew how to get his own food, but he could hardly get enough to appease his family. They always wanted more from him than from the others.

Frowning, attempting not to whine about the hunger pains that had long been part of his life, he was surprised when a huge man slammed right into him. He looked up, intimidated by the man's size. However, when he spotted the golden watch hanging from the man's coat and the sizable bulge in his pocket, something in him snapped.

Bowing in apology, he stepped to the side, hiding his filching hands from sight. It would be a while before the man realized he'd been relieved of a sizable profit.

He never told his parents about the money, using it instead to provide things for himself. It was a nice change.

--

Ever since his large catch in months past, he'd taken to strolling down the crowded streets of New York, picking pockets here and there. He found himself unable to steal from the pretty lady with the baby stroller, though. Perhaps he didn't want to inflict his own childhood on the young babe? Well, no matter. The woman wasn't carrying much anyway.

He was in for a shock, though, when a woman screamed "Thief!" in his ear and a strong hand clamped down on his wrist. Heart beating fast, he slipped his hand out of the man's grasp and took off, weaving through the crowd, eternally grateful he was smaller than the ones chasing him.

He darted around the corner of an alley, hiding behind a trashcan and catching his breath.

"My, my, fast on your feet, aren't you, child?" A woman's voice said from his left, making him jump. "Like a phantom, almost." He spun around to see a lady with long blonde hair looking at him, laughter in her eyes.

"Who are you!?"

"My name is Sharon. What's yours, child?" He didn't answer. "Oh, don't you have one?"

He bit his lip. He had one, yes, but it had been given to him by the family that hated him, a name used only to scold him. "No. I don't have a name." He said defiantly.

She chuckled. "Really now?" She reached out a long-nailed finger and tapped him on the nose. "I'd watch out if I were you, little thief. Some of those men out there can pack a nasty bite. Particularly if it concerns their paycheck." She ruffled his hair, much to his indignation, and turned on her heel, walking off.

He stood their for a long while after, staring at the spot she'd vacated.

--

SLAP!

He recoiled as the cold hand collided with his face. Placing a soothing, if dirty, palm against his cheek, he looked up with tears in his eyes at the woman yelling at him.

"Where have you been!? Where's your share!? You were supposed to find dinner for the rest of us!" She yelled shrilly.

"I – I didn't…"

"Of course you didn't! You never do! You're such a worthless child! God, why couldn't you have given me a useful child, one who would be concerned for the _family_!?" She asked the sky. He really didn't think it was going to answer.

That night, still nursing a bruised cheek, he shivered in the cold. Because he hadn't brought food, his mother had exiled him from their "home." Not that inside was really much warmer, but it was the symbolism of the event. He wasn't part of them anymore, and they were planning on making that clear.

Rising from the doorway he'd curled in, he noticed someone lighting a cigarette and it gave him an idea. Filching the matchbox, he lit a few and scattered them around his "home." As the fire lit before, him, he heard the screams of his family and made no move to help them. Instead, only one thought leaped to mind.

At least he wasn't cold anymore.

--

Arson is a very serious charge, especially when there are lives lost in the proceedings.

He hadn't made much of an effort to hide what he'd done, so it really wasn't a surprise when the police picked him up. The only thing that occurred to him was that, while convicts often had to wear strange clothes, they did get a hot meal everyday. Or at least, they did as far as he knew.

He'd resigned himself to whatever charge the police hung on him. It wasn't like he could afford a lawyer, although the thought of lifting anything valuable from the blowhard in front of him was awfully tempting.

However, before he could be formally charged, the door slammed open and a beautiful young woman marched in.

"Lieutenant? Are you the one in charge of this boy's case?" She demanded, almost appearing to loom over the policeman in front of him.

"I am. And you are?" He sneered.

"My name is Sharon Vineyard. I'm taking responsibility for this boy." She said clearly.

"S-Sharon Vineyard? The actress from Broadway!? P-Pleasure to meet you, ma'am. My wife is a big fan of yours! Can I have your autograph?"

She glared coldly at the man. "I'm here to take care of this child, if you please."

The policeman deflated slightly, but continued with his duty. "Well, he's been accused of arson and manslaughter, but…well, I mean, if someone of _your_ eminence were to take care of him…well, I'm sure it'll all work out."

"Arrange it." She told the officer, grabbing his hand and dragging him out of the station.

"W-Why are you helping me?" He asked in surprise.

"You're talented, little thief, and you have guts. It would be a shame to let someone like you fall to waste."

"I…I am?" He asked, eyes wide. It was the first time anyone had complimented him.

"Yes, you are." She stopped and kneeled in front of him. "How would you like to work with me, little thief? I can arrange for you to always be well off, just so long as you do as we ask."

"You can?"

"Yes. But you'll have to go through training first. You're talented, but that talent needs to be nurtured in order to grow. Come." She stood and walked swiftly.

He had to jog to keep up, no longer paying attention to where she was leading him. If she could do everything she said…why he'd gladly do as she said.

She brought him to this building that looked ordinary enough, at least until he actually entered the doors. He'd never seen so many people wearing black! It look kind of cool, but it was really rather scary.

She stopped outside a double-doored room and told him to wait as she disappeared inside. In the meantime, he felt rather awkward standing around outside. All the black-clothed people were _watching _him, and while he usually enjoyed an audience, this one was just creepy. So he turned the tables. He started watching _them_, scrutinizing their every move. And, occasionally, he'd make a flower or two pop up in odd places. After all, that strange old man had taught him a few odd things and it was about time he put them to use.

She came out again after twenty minutes and beckoned him in. "The Boss has agreed to train you. Your name shall be Kaitou from now on."

"Why?" He asked in confusion.

"Everyone here has a codename. 'Kaitou' is Japanese for Phantom Thief, so I thought it rather fitting for you." She chuckled.

"Uh…thanks?" He said uncertainly

--

For the next three years, the newly-dubbed 'Kaitou' spent all his time training, occasionally helping his new 'guardian' when called upon. The training was unlike anything he'd ever expected, but he couldn't say he really minded. Sure, learning the most efficient assassination techniques was a bit off the beaten path, but he really didn't care. As far as he was concerned, the people he was ordered to kill must have done something to deserve it, otherwise they wouldn't be needing killed, right? Anyway, it was no skin off his nose what other people did, just so long as he got the shelter, hot meal, and everything else he was promised.

He'd done rather well for himself, quickly moving through the criminal ranks. Well, not too quickly. He certainly wasn't the best there was, but he was obediently and the Boss certainly liked him. That was always a plus on his side. He had the support of both Vermouth – Sharon's codename – and Boss, the ones who pulled all the strings in this organization.

Still, it was rather surprising when Sharon – despite what her codename might be, he'd always remember her by the name she'd first given him - pulled him aside and told him that he'd be accompanying her on a long term assignment in London and that they'd be seeing someone _special_ there.

He didn't argue, of course. He'd long ago promised he'd do anything Sharon and besides, the idea of seeing London was thrilling. He'd never left the country before and would be glad to change that.

--

Well, he _had_ been eager to see London, but so far, all he'd seen was hotel room after hotel room. What were they, some sort of celebrities? Could killers really be considered celebrities anywhere? But then again, there _were _famous killers, such as Jack the Ripper.

Well, anyway, why wasn't he allowed outside? And who did Sharon keep meeting with? Weren't they supposed to see someone here?

The door opened and Kaitou jumped up, eager for something to do. He stopped short, however, when he came face to face with someone who looked like him. Creepily so. Really, it's a very odd sensation, running into someone who could be your twin, except that you know you've never had any twins.

"Kaitou, this is Martini, a new agent. You are to help him…adjust to life in the syndicate." Sharon said, looking amused at the shock passing between the two of them. "Consider yourself partners."

"P-partner?" Kaitou blinked. "Well, sure, whatever. Nice to meet you and all that."

Martini bobbed his head. "Hope we'll work together well."

--

As it turned out, they _did_ work together, fast becoming known for their errorless records and their efficient murders.

They were the best of partners…for a while. Then Kaitou realized that Martini was a little too good at what he did.

It had started out…well, actually, it had started out when Kaitou wanted to know just who was getting so close to Sharon. Embarrassing, yes, but she had always been a bit like a mother to him and all young men were protective of their mothers, weren't they?

Besides, it appeared he had reason to. Martini was not at all who he said he was. However, rather than handing this information over to the police, Kaitou preferred to know just why he had been lied to.

--

Martini was truthful about his deceit, almost to a fault even. He confessed everything, explaining that he worked for British Intelligence. He was an elite member of an MI6 team that was granted the special privilege of a license to kill. 001, he said his name was. Kaito wondered if the 1 was there because of his supposed ability, but Martini told him that the numbers were merely assigned to people on a random basis after their predecessor died. In other words, the spy 001 had probably been around for many decades, but it was only now Martini's title.

Kaitou asked him why, but all Martini could say was that he was working to destroy this criminal syndicate they were in and that Vermouth volunteered to help him.

Kaitou didn't believe him.

Why would Sharon help destroy the syndicate? She was one of the major members of it, for god's sake. She couldn't possibly want more power; she already got away with everything as it was!

So Martini told him to ask Vermouth himself.

Kaitou never got an answer.

--

**Sorry about the ending, it's not very satisfying. But, the plot was determined to come to an end.**

**Anyway, I used Martini as Shinichi's codename again. As for the 001 – and yes, that is an idea stolen from Ian Flemming – 'ichi' from Shin's name means one, so I thought it worked.**

**For Kaito, Vermouth explained why he was given the name in the story. I know it's not an alcohol name, but I figure, he wouldn't start out with one, especially not as a kid, so he was given that one so that they'd have something to call him and it stuck.**

**Hope everyone enjoyed! It was a little different than normal, huh? That said, this site - why won't it let you say the damn name? - is still acting weird. Why do they have to keep changing the system!? –tear– **


	73. Rallying Forces

**Sequel (sort of) to Chapter 68: History at Last**

--

Friday the Thirteenth

Rallying Forces

The full moon was a beautiful occurrence everywhere in the world. In Japan, the experience was heightened by the fact that one Kaitou Kid enjoyed executing his capers in the company of the dear moon.

Today, however, something unusual was happening.

Miles away from the planned heist, just after sundown, a young witch was preparing herself for a monthly ritual, one which always took place under the knowing eye of the moon goddess.

Koizumi Akako hastened herself, preparing an altar and setting out herbs. Tonight, she was going to receive answers. Tonight, she'd be doing more than asking. Kneeling, she began to speak.

"O Lucifer, rise to me.

Answer my questions.

Heed to me the truth."

She burned a small pile of cedar.

"Osiris and Anubis, rally to me.

Allow me understanding,

Allow to me truth,

And answer the questions

Put forth to you."

Slowly, a figure formed in the wisps of smoke rising from the burning wood. Raising her bowed head, Akako gazed at the vague form.

"_What is it you ask of me?_" The silhouette asked in a deep, eerie voice.

"Plans have been set into motion, My Lord, plans executed by you. I ask you, what is it you seek to do?"

"_The Greek Maiden falls to Darkness_

_The White seeks to bring her back._

_Dark and White shall fight and fall,_

_but who stands tall at the end?_

_The White needs allies,_

_The Dark takes them all._

_Help is needed, but who will come?_

_Summon the Fallen White,_

_See what becomes…_"

The figure began to fade as soon as the last work was said.

"Wait! Lucifer!" Akako shouted. "Dammit. Why can't that god ever speak clearly!?" Submitting the riddle to memory, she gathered the supplies of her ritual. Even if she called upon the honored god of the dead once more, there would no answer…as usual.

--

"Did you see the Kid heist last night?" She could hear girls squealing as she entered the classroom. With an ironic smile, she placed herself majestically in her seat. She'd have loved to see her beloved Kid in action, but, unfortunately, his most ambitious endeavors took place on the full moon, a night which she already devoted to her witchcraft. Wicca was an unusual belief, perhaps, particularly when you were suited more for the Dark Arts, but she'd never leave it for anything else.

Moving her thoughts to more pressing matters, she pondered over the riddle. 'The Greek Maiden'…she had no association with anything Greek. How did this maiden come into play? 'Falls to Darkness' was equally vague. There were a lot of ways to fall to the Darkness, but she didn't know any particular ones connected to Greece. The 'White' made her think of Kuroba, but what did he have to do with this lady? The next two lines clearly referred to a battle of good and evil with the ending unclear, but after that; 'The White needs allies, the Dark takes them all' How could Darkness _take_ them? Kill them off? 'Help'….they always needed help. But who was the 'Fallen White'? Unless…Kuroba-kun was the Kaitou Kid by night, but he could hardly be the first one. Kid was around years before, even before Kuroba-kun was born. Kuroba-kun was so highly protective of Kid's name…the previous Kid was someone close to him, someone no longer on this earth. And Lucifer wanted her to bring him back. But how? The rituals for bringing back the dead were extensive and complex and could only be initiated on the full moon. But did they have until the next full moon before the battle between White and Darkness?

"Akako-chan?" A voice snapped her out of her reverie.

"Yes?" She blinked, looking at the messy-haired girl bending over her.

"Are you okay? You were sort of spacing out." Aoko asked.

"Oh…yes, I'm fine. Is class beginning?" Aoko nodded and went back to her own seat. Akako noticed, however, that Kuroba-kun was sending her odd looks. Smirking at him, she made a mental note to ask him about the Greek Maiden.

--

The opportunity came during break, when Nakamori-chan found herself flooded by her female friends. Akako may or may not have had anything to do with their sudden insistence to spend time with the mop-wielding girl.

The witch approached Kuroba silently, lounging on the vacated chair next to him. "Have a good evening, Kuroba-kun?" She asked sweetly.

He glared at her. "Just fine, thank you. Did you need something?"

"I did, actually. What do you know of a 'Greek Maiden' that has fallen to 'Darkness'?" She demanded.

"What?"

"I spoke to Lucifer last night. He told me of a Greek Maiden that the White seeks to bring back. What do you know of it?"

Kaito looked confused and just the slightest bit wary. "Greek? I don't – " He trailed off. "Pandora is the name of someone in a Greek myth, isn't it? Pandora's Box?"

"Yes, the maiden entrusted with a box – or some sort of container – from the gods. Her curiosity caused her to open the box and unleash the horrors of the world." Akako adopted a look of understanding. "Unleashed the _Darkness_ on the world. But what is that to you?"

Kaito immediately became closed off, refusing to divulge any information. "Nothing."

Akako glared. "Kuroba," She hissed. He kept his mouth firmly shut. "Lucifer told me more than that about this Pandora." She said softly, attempting to get him interested. "He told me Dark and White would fight….and that Dark was taking White's allies away."

Kaito gave her his full attention. "What else?"

She recited the riddle she'd been told. "SO I ask you, Kuroba-kun, what is Pandora to you?"

Kaito's face was white as he deciphered the riddle. "She – it's the name of a gemstone, one that's supposed to cry tears of immortality. I'm looking for it…to destroy it."

Akako nodded in understanding. "Those snipers at the heists….they're looking for it, too, aren't they?" He nodded. "Have they made any move to confront you?"

"No. Well, no more than usual, anyway. Koizumi-kun…can you really bring back the 'Fallen White'?" He asked.

"I don't know. If Lucifer wills it, it is possible…but the ritual must be done on the night of the full moon…and I'll need to know his name. He'll only be able to stay on this earth while the moon stays high…after that, he shall return to the underworld."

Kaito nodded slowly. "But you will most likely be able to do it?"

"Yes, I believe so."

"Kuroba Toichi," Kaito whispered, "his name is Kuroba Toichi."

--

They'd fallen into a routine during lunch over they next few weeks. It had been decided that if there was going to be a battle between good and bad, they wanted it to be on their terms, while they were prepared. They also decided that the best way for this to work would be to provoke them during a heist. And since Akako needed to full moon to work and it was Kaito's preferred time to work, the heist would be held on the next full moon.

So, together, they were working on something to provoke them with. They needed to find a target falling within the correct parameters, one that had a likely chance of being what they were looking for…or at least appear to be. Kaito had confessed that even though he'd like to find Pandora, if they couldn't find anything, he could plant information to make it look like they had.

However, they were into the third week of the twenty-eight day lunar cycle and they still hadn't found a suitable candidate for their deception. Both were looking diligently, but nothing was forthcoming. Finally, Kaito decided he'd take the oldest, biggest rock on the market and give it the right history. Now, all they had to do was wait for the Dark to take the bait.

--

Finally, the full moon was here. Tonight, they'd be putting all their plans into action. And, hopefully, tonight, they'd get to see the end of the Dark.

Right after the last bell of the school day rang, they raced to get the final ingredients for Akako's ritual and began preparing the circle.

"Is there anything else I can do?" Kaito asked.

"You've done plenty, Kuroba-kun. You have a heist to execute. You're father will be here when you've finished. With any luck, he'll meet you at the heist." She said, sympathetically. She knew what it was like to loose someone close to her and have the opportunity to see them again. But there were always limits, and those limits hurt.

He nodded slowly, gradually turning away from her and leaving. This heist would be huge, whether it went his way or not.

--

The heist went well, but Kaito knew he was distracted. And distraction wasn't something he could afford if the Crows showed.

Right now, he was playing with the police still, hadn't even touched the gem yet. Koizumi insisted that it was vital he didn't go straight for it. He couldn't see why. Wouldn't the Crows be more convinced it was Pandora if he were highly determined to get his hands on it right away? But, he'd learned long ago, never defy Koizumi Akako's wishes. Not only could it prove damaging to your health, she was usually right and always had her reasons for doing what she did…even if they weren't always particularly good reasons. Being bored wasn't a good reason to turn someone into a rabbit in Kaito's book. Now dye their hair on the other hand…

Anyway, he would do as Koizumi asked. She knew strange things and he could tell she was serious about this. So he'd listen to her and follow her lead…

He jumped over a podium and reached towards the glass case holding his prize. Drawing back his hand quickly, he watched as a bullet shattered the glass of an exhibit right behind him.

Right on time.

The Crows had taken their bait and had acted exactly as Koizumi had predicted them to. Now, to draw them in.

"Who fired!? You have orders not to use force!" Nakamori shouted, turning purple in the face with the effort. The officers murmured in confusion and Kid laughed, launching to the ceiling to avoid another shot.

"It's not your men you should be scolding, Keibu." He purred. Scaling across the tiling, he made his way above the case and released his hold, landing on top of the glass.

Taking a deep breath, he pulled out his card gun and slammed it down on the case, breaking the glass. Koizumi had told him not to touch the gem. She'd told him while he was over it, he would be protected. He trusted her, he really did, but she _did_ realize these people would be carrying guns, right?

A shadow crept close to him as he brushed away the glass around the gem, careful not to touch it. In a hissing voice, it demanded the gem.

Looking straight in his attackers eyes, he refused. Then he waited. He waited for the bullet to pierce his skin, for the agonizing pain that came every time…

It never happened. The pain never came. Blinking, Kaito could see a white cloud hovering protectively around him.

"Oyaji," He gasped quietly. It was him, it had to be him. The ritual thing had worked! His father was back!

The cloud closed in tighter around him momentarily, covering him in it's warm embrace. Then, without warning, it dispelled harshly, rushing away from him and towards his attackers, knocking them down and disarming them. Quickly, Nakamori's men apprehended them, staring at Kid in awe all the while.

Before the cloud dissipated entirely, a soft voice whispered in his ear. It told him of a love, of a dream, and of a special mother. A smile stretched over his face and he silently agreed.

--

Kuroba Hikaru was a strong woman. She was very independent and she was very stubborn. When her son came to her with a message, though, a message she would never forget, she was brought to her knees, tears in her eyes, and a joyous smile on her face.

--

The jewel in front of him was responsible for everything. It was this things fault his father had been killed, he'd become Kid, he'd lied to Aoko…

But it wasn't. The men seeking Pandora had killed his father, but it wasn't her fault. And Kid…once he discovered his father's secret – however that were to happen – he'd have followed in his footsteps, he just knew he would. And lying to Aoko came with the job, no matter how much he despised it.

So now, now he was left with the innocent jewel that had caused so much pain, so much suffering. What was he supposed to do with it? Hand it over to the gods? If they wanted it, why didn't they just take it in the first place?

He didn't want Pandora and he'd meant to destroy her, but…she'd done nothing wrong. Did she deserve to be destroyed?

But what else would he do with her? He didn't want her and he sure didn't want her to fall into the hands of people like the Crows…

"_Give me Pandora, Kuroba Kaito._" A deep voice said suddenly, making him jump. In front of him, a large, majestic – if rather frightening – figure appeared, accompanied by one he knew well.

"Oyaji!" He said in surprise. The figure in white smiled at him, tipping his hat. However, he deferred to the one with him, the god.

"_I am Hades, Lord of the Underworld. You had a job to do, Kuroba Kaito, and you have fulfilled it. Now, give me the stone. With this, all your memories of it will be erased. Pandora will never have hurt you._"

Wide-eyed, Kaito stared at the god. Trembling slightly, he reached out a gloved hand and grasped the stone. Closing his eyes, he twisted his wrist and opened his palm, holding Pandora out for the god to take.

He felt a gust of wind against his hand and then a strong force against his entire body. Bringing his arms up to shield him, he felt gentle arms wrap around him, protecting him once more.

--

**I'm doing a research paper on witches for my English class, and while I was researching, I came across an article on Egyptian Witchcraft, I sort of modeled Akako after what I learned in the article, but I made a lot of stuff up, too.**

**Lucifer is the Devil, who overlooks the dead, so crossing it over, he is essentially the same as Hades. Osiris is the Egyptian god of the dead, until he turned the title over to Anubis.**

**Cedar is an herb used to represent (or was it sacrifice? I'm not entirely sure on that part, so don't take my word for it) Osiris. I couldn't find any herbs for Hades or Lucifer, so Osiris worked.**

**NONE OF THE RITUALS ARE REAL AND NO OFFENSE IS MEANT BY IT.**

**Happy Friday the Thirteenth, everybody!**


	74. Hopeless Rescue

**Sequel to Chapter 66: Arrest, for peppymint. Hope you like!**

--

Hopeless Rescue

Conan paced the call restlessly, much to the irritation of his cell mate. Haibara Ai was _not_ happy with much of anything at the moment, and Conan's fidgeting just made it worse.

"If you want to keep pacing, do it in the same spot so you can wear a whole into the floor. At least then we'd have hopes of surviving." She snapped.

He spun around and glared at her. "I'm thinking, alright!? I'm not perfect and I can't get out of this any easier than you can!" He sighed. "I think their _might_ be a way for us to get out of here, but I'm not entirely sure how to execute it. Besides, I don't know what would happen to those left here. The Org will surely hear about our capture, figure out who we are, and dispatch us, but what about the others? It will be clear to the Organization that they know who we are, too. Didn't you say before that if the Org will kill anyone who knows about them!?"

Ai let out a slow breath. "Yes, they will. And they won't take the chance that they may not know about what made us this way. That's the problem. They won't bother with personal execution methods for this. They'll probably blow the whole station up, killing everyone inside it."

Conan gasped. "I thought you said they'd want to take care of you personally, though."

"Possibly." She shrugged. "Gin would certainly prefer it that way, but it's what that boss says that gets done. Or, they may have ensured that this particular cell doesn't get badly damaged, so as to take care of us later."

"Isn't that something to look forward to?" Conan said bitterly.

--

Running, Kuroba Kaito could see the police station in the distance. He was almost there. Just a little closer.

Without warning, the building exploded, screams coming from all around, Kaito's own joining them.

"No!" He yelled, running faster and stupidly charging straight into the burning building.

He couldn't save them. There were so many of them and he couldn't save them, no matter how hard he tried.

They were all going to die.

--

The foundation shook and shattered around their cell, fire erupting all over the place. Toppling over with the force of it all, Conan reached out to shield Ai. It didn't do much good considering their landing knocked the wind out of both of them, but it was the thought that counted.

Ai was right. Even with the station crumbling around them, the cell stood firmly…sort of. The bars were strained and there was no roof now, but they were still alive. And still trapped.

A cold voice began to laugh. "Look at them, hopelessly trying to escape still."

Ai stiffened next to him and Conan brought his head up to look at Death's icy golden eyes.

--

Kaito was almost to Tantei-kun's cell, when he saw the burning Kaitou Kid Taskforce division.

No, they couldn't die. None of them could die. They weren't allowed. He had to get them out, had to save them. All of them.

There was no way.

He was still hopelessly trying to save Nakamori Ginzo when flames blew up in his face.

--

**Okay, that wasn't quite how I planned it to go. Actually, I kinda wanted to make Kaito go insane with guilt and the knowledge that he hadn't saved everyone, but…it didn't work.**


	75. Tentative Feelings

**Happy Valentine's Day! It's been a while since I've written a happy romance, so that's what I'm gonna try to do here. No guarantees, though. If the plunny runs off and becomes angsty or something, it's not my fault.**

--

Tentative Feelings

"Don't they realize that the _girls_ are supposed to be giving gifts to the _guys_!?" Satou Miwako asked irritably, sipping at her coffee.

Next to her, Miyamoto Yumi giggled happily, watching as numerous men attempted to present her friend with a gift of love.

Turning down the umpteenth man, she smiled politely, telling them she'd be going out for a breath of fresh air.

Escaping the chaos, she staggered into the second division's break room – far away from where they'd be looking for her – and collapsed on the couch. A groan from underneath her made her jump with a yelp, spinning around and staring at the form lying on the cushions with wide eyes.

Rising with a moan, Police Detective Takagi Wataru blinked at her with drowsy eyes. "S-Satou-san?" He squeaked.

"What are you doing here?" She asked.

He looked embarrassed. "I…I was hiding…from the guys in our division. They…er…" He trailed off. How could he tell her that they'd threatened his life if he received something from her? Especially when he wouldn't even dare to hope that he'd get something from her.

"They bullied you again, didn't they?" Satou half laughed, half sighed in exasperation. "Really, Takagi-kun, you need to learn to stand up the them." Takagi laughed nervously. "They're being a real pain, you know…honestly, it's only Valentine's day! It's not the end of the world." Takagi was silent. She looked at him and sighed. "Sorry. I guess I'm just unloading my problems on you."

"Oh, it's no problem." He chuckled. "I understand. They – um – they act like Valentine's Day is everything."

"But you don't…"

Takagi shrugged. "I've never like Valentine's Day. Ever since elementary school, it's always seemed like a holiday to show whose the most popular." He sighed and looked at the floor. "It was never fun going home and having your mother ask you what you received when you hadn't gotten anything at all or what little you had gotten was all stolen from you."

Miwako didn't know what to say. She looked at him sadly, shoving her hands in her pockets awkwardly. She was surprised when her hand hit the corner of a box. That's right, she'd gotten something for Valentine's Day, hadn't she?

"Well, they can't steal what they don't know you've gotten." She said, holding a box of nicely wrapped chocolate. "I know it's not much, it's not even homemade, but…"

He looked at her with wide, vulnerable eyes. "F-for me?" He squeaked. "I – Thank you." He smiled tentatively. "Really, thank you, Miwako-san." Realizing he'd spoken so intimately, he blushed brightly and stuttered.

Smiling, she brought a hand up to cradle his face. "You're welcome…Wataru-kun."


	76. Guilty Pleasure

**Okay, has anyone seen **_**After the Sunset**_**? Cuz Kid would fit right into the role of the thief and the FBI agents he's always plays with would really fit either Nakamori or Hakuba. Probably Hakuba considering the age factor, but Nakamori would probably have better reactions. Who would play the thief's girlfriend, though? Aoko wouldn't really fit…neither would Akako or, unfortunately, Shinichi. Maybe Heiji? The girl is a little clingy and very insistent on getting her own way. Actually, Heiji would fit pretty well.**

**Anyway, I may write that eventually, but not today…or maybe I will. If I post twice today, then you'll get that fic.**

**Now, however, I want to write some smut. So, here we go. Prompt is "Kaito/Shinichi Masturbation."**

--

Guilty Pleasure.

Kid flew through the night air, smirking over his latest victory. He'd stolen the Napoleon Diamond right out from under Nakamori-keibu and Hakuba's noses and he was feeling good about it. He was the slightest bit put off, though. The police had asked for Mouri Kogoro's help on this one, but his usual pint-sized shadow hadn't been there, much to Kid's dismay.

He'd heard rumors lately, here and there, that the miniature detective had gone back to America. Of course, that was unlikely. With any luck, the detective had managed to get his body back…however that worked. Kid really wasn't quite sure on the specifics there.

On a whim, he decided he'd drop in on the detective. Or where he hoped the detective would be at any rate.

Landing on the roof of the Kudo Mansion, he deactivated his hang glider and swung down over the edge, his legs hooked on the edge of the roof, so that he could see inside. What he saw nearly made him loose his grip. Kudo Shinichi was back alright and he _was_ where Kid thought, he just wasn't doing anything Kid had expected.

The sight of the Detective of the East sprawled on his bed, touching himself, was surprising enough for his feet to slip and for him to loose his grip on the roof. Fortunately, the window ledge was wide enough for him to regain a grip and hoist himself back up, sitting on the ledge. He was quiet and graceful, too skills needed for his line of work. Two skills that allowed his whole fall to go unnoticed by the occupant on the other side of the window.

Glancing back inside, he found that he couldn't tear his eyes away from the beautiful figure on the bed. The detective's smooth skin almost glowed in the little beams of moonlight that penetrated the room. His long, slim fingers curled around himself, stroking, and his head was thrown back, neck long, decorated with strands of silky brown hair.

Suddenly finding it hard to breathe, Kid gulped. He shouldn't be watching this. He shouldn't even be here. He should be flying home, cackling over his newest prize, even if it wasn't Pandora. So why did ever fiber of his being want to say to hell with Pandora and be on the other side of this goddamn window?

Shifting in his seat, trying to ignore the tightness of his suede pants. In doing so, however, the charm on his monocle, swinging in the wind, clinked against the window, alerting Kudo to an unexpected audience.

How ironic. Before he was even guilty, Kudo could've heard him and made himself decent. Now that he'd acknowledged he'd was enjoying the sight, he was caught, guilty pleasure showing on his face.

Inside, Shinichi jerked, sitting up and staring at the window. White. All he could see was white. The white cape billowing in the wind, the tailored white suit, the whites of Kid's wide eyes. What in god's name was he doing here!?

"K-Kid!?" He half-whispered, still unused to his deeper voice. Kid twitched, making the beginnings of a movement like he was going to flee when Shinichi yelled, "Wait!" Surprisingly, the Kid did. He slowly brought his head up for shadowed eyes to meet Shinichi's own. "I – er – come in." He said lamely.

What was he doing? Here he was, sitting half naked on his bed, inviting the Kaitou Kid inside after he'd found him peering through the window at him! But…well, the idea that Kid had been watching him wasn't a particularly bad one, he hated to admit. As a matter of fact, it sent bizarre shivers up and down his spine.

Kid approached the bed, slowly, warily, constantly watching the tantei. He seemed unsure, as well he should be, but he'd didn't seem…disgusted with what he'd seen. Instead, Shinichi would almost hazard to say he seemed…excited.

Cautiously reaching a hand out as Kid came closer, he loosely ran his fingers over Kid's vest, looking up into blue-violet eyes. "Why are you here?" He whispered.

Kid shivered, "I'd heard Conan left. I thought you might be here."

Shinichi's hand closed around Kid's tie, smoothing over the fabric. "And why did you want to find me?"

"You didn't come to my heist." Kid murmured, shifting awkwardly.

"I couldn't make it in time." Shinichi responded, coming closer, moving slowly enough for Kid to anticipate his moves so as not to scare him into flight. "I had…issues to take care of." He said, embarrassed.

To that, Kid laughed quietly. "So I see." He murmured, reaching a gloved hand out to hesitantly brush it over Shinichi's hard length. Shinichi gasped and his body convulsed. His hand shot out and grabbed Kid's wrist, keeping it where it was, leaning forward and impulsively pressing his lips against the thief's.

Kid made a muffled sound of surprise, but made no move to get away. As a matter of fact, his hand submitted to Kudo's will and moved, stroking his cock, the fabric of his gloves helping it move without unwanted friction.

Shinichi whimpered, falling back and pulling Kid down on top of him. He could feel Kid through his thin pants, feel that his actions had aroused the thief. He felt accomplished. It was just anyone the thief would do this with, he was rather sure of that, not with the threat of jail so prominent.

--

Kid cursed himself for enjoying the activities he was currently engaged in. He was _not_ going to sleep with a detective. No matter how much his body wanted it, he had standards to live by and going to bed with one of his captors was not one of them.

Shinichi bit his neck, letting out a breathy moan and Kaito decided to hell with standards. He'd deal with the consequences later. Right now, he was going to enjoy himself, dammit.


	77. Tragically Forsaken

**For gemininus. It doesn't completely go along with the amv, but it's sorta along the same wavelength.**

--

Tragically Forsaken

Hanging up the phone, Ran tried to ignore the tears trailing down her face. What was she doing? This was so stupid. She'd been waiting for years now and all that stupid mystery nut could do was tell her he'd be back some day!?

Well, some day was too late. She was tired of waiting. This was the end of it. She wouldn't wait for him anymore. If he really loved her, he would've come home by now. She'd show him. She didn't need him. She could be happy without him.

"Just watch, Shinichi," She whispered, wiping the wetness from her cheeks. "I can live without you. Watch me."

--

Five days later, there was someone new, taking Shinichi's place. No, it wasn't Shinichi's place, never had been. Now, she had Eisuke to love. Shinichi no longer had a place within her heart.

She introduced him to her father…again. It wasn't surprising that her father had forgotten. Mouri Kogoro was not known for his memory. He hadn't been exactly happy with Ran's choice, but at least Eisuke had never stolen cases from him. Let it never be said that Mouri Kogoro did not hold grudges.

Conan was a different story. From the very second she had introduced Eisuke as her boyfriend, he'd closed down, eyes empty behind his boyish smile. He'd laughed and wished Eisuke well, but there was no emotion behind it. And all the while, Eisuke had looked at the boy with wide eyes, seeking permission for something Ran couldn't understand.

And Conan had given that permission, unwilling though he may have been. The next day, he contacted his parents in America and made plans to move away from Ran. He wouldn't be going to America, he had too much work still to do here for that, but he couldn't stand to stay with his childhood friend as she moved on and forgot him.

The young woman had cried when he'd left, hugging him close as long as he could and Conan had to wonder, if she'd known who he really was, would she have acted the same? Would she still mourn his leaving or would she have forsaken Shinichi if she'd known he'd been there all along?

--

Frustrated, Aoko slammed her mop against the wall, ignoring the peeling plaster she had disturbed. Gods, that boy was so insensitive! She held in a scream and glared around the empty room. That jerk, that stupid, insensitive jerk had had the gall to tease her over taking so long to get a date when it was _his_ fault she hadn't been dating in the first place!

Of course, it didn't matter now. She'd waited too long for him to open up to her and he never did. It was too late now. By the time he realized what he'd lost, he wouldn't have a chance to win it back.

But it mattered not. He wouldn't be there for her, so now she wouldn't be there for him. She'd found someone else she could devote herself to, someone who wouldn't flip her skirt and act like a jerk all the time.

--

Kaito was pissed. He didn't get mad like this often, and he certainly never let it show, but on the inside, he was boiling with anger. Aoko hadn't even had the decency to _tell_ him she was going out with Hakuba now. No, she'd let him find out through a different means, namely her friends at school who were still giddily squealing over her fine catch.

He could understand that she'd been hurt by his distance, but that didn't mean she had to be so…_her_ about it. He could've taken it if she told him so to his face. Well…maybe, anyway.

"I made a lunch for you, Saguru-kun!" Aoko's voice rang out.

On the other hand, perhaps he _couldn't_ handle it. "I wouldn't eat it, Hakuba." Kaito half-laughed. "Be better to swallow toxic waste." He snapped out harshly. He turned and marched out of the room angrily, completely missing the raw hurt on his childhood friend's face.

Kaito punched the wall in the hallway. Fine, she could date that stupid Brit. What did he care? She wasn't anything special. It wasn't like he particularly _cared_ about her.

Right, of course he didn't care. Why should he? He didn't need her, hadn't needed her before. She couldn't help him avenge his father, couldn't help him find and destroy Pandora. What was she to him? Absolutely nothing.

The normal smile stretched over his face as he ducked back inside the classroom just before the bell rang.

--

Hattori Heiji looked at the girl he affectionately called 'Neechan' with a frown on his face. "Where's Ku-uh-Conan?" He asked, confused.

"Oh, he left with his parents a few months ago." Ran said sadly, handing a glass of tea to Kazuha, who was sitting next to them. The doorbell rang and she left to answer.

Heiji's frowned deepened, pondering what she had said. Why would Conan have left unless he'd found a cure for his terminal shortness? Was Kudo back? If so, why hadn't he called him!?

"Hey, Neechan, have you heard from Kudo?" He called. Kazuha nudged him in the side, but said nothing as Ran's voice floated through the hall back to them.

"No, not since before Conan left." She said carelessly, coming back within their line of sight, a man on her arm. Heiji gaped up at the young adult who was clearly _not _Kudo.

"Y-You mean – " Heiji trailed off.

"You don't care that Kudo-kun hasn't been heard from at all?" Kazuha asked carefully.

Ran shrugged. "You know him. He's too busy solving mysteries to worry about us here at home. Let me get you some more tea." She smiled and ducked back into the kitchen.

The man smiled at them. "I'm Hondou Eisuke," He said hesitantly. "Um, about Kudo…I think he might be in trouble."

Heiji launched up and grabbed the other by his collar. "What do you mean?"

The boy looked scared of Heiji, but continued anyway. "Conan-kun left with people claiming to be his parents right after Ran-chan introduced me to Mouri-san." Heiji's glare amplified. "Oh, um, I…I know about Kudo-san and Conan-kun. He…sort of told me before I left for America a year or so ago when I asked him if I could ask Ran out."

Heiji grit his teeth, but released his hold on Eisuke. "Do you know where he went?"

Eisuke shook his head. "That's why I was worried, see? 'Cause no one has heard from Conan-kun since he 'moved', not even his friends at school or his neighbor, that Professor person."

This news did not please Heiji and he spent the next month searching long and hard for Kudo.

--

Koizumi Akako glared at Nakamori Aoko. Ever since this girl had announced a relationship with Hakuba Saguru, the Kid's smiles had become hallow, his actions speaking only of need and nothing of pleasure. He was a ghost, only doing that which was required of him and nothing more.

And yet, he made a point of mocking the young Nakamori, a way to keep her unaware. Indeed, she seemed to be the only one out of the loop when it came to Kuroba's broken behavior. He kept her too mad to observe properly, too mad to notice anything about him except the distance of his hide from her mop.

Akako couldn't how the girl could be so utterly blind so as not to realize that Kuroba's purposeful distance from her was because of his nighttime occupation. And even that, it appeared, was slowly falling apart as Kuroba became more and more torn up inside.

Finally, one day, Kid was too slow, too uncaring, and his end came.

--

Sitting in a jail cell, looking blankly at the wall, Kuroba Kaito waited. He waited for the organization to decide that his existence was a threat they couldn't afford and send someone to take care of him.

In an inner room in the station, Nakamori Aoko stared at the security camera in despair. There it was, the answer to all the questions she never wanted to know. Kaito was the Kid. Kaito had decided his illegal jaunts were more important than her friendship…whatever he was trying to do, he'd decided to do without putting her at risk.

And now she could never have him back.

--

There was dread in her heart the night Ran answered the telephone to here Megure-keibu sadly inform her that a group of teenagers had discovered Edogawa Conan's body in the grass on the outer edge of Tropical Land. He'd been long dead, his small form already starting to decay.

An hour later, Heiji and Eisuke took her aside in the police station and told her all about Shinichi's case and the mask of Conan.

"So…" She whispered, "He was with me…all this time…and he never said anything?"

"He wanted to protect you, Neechan." Hattori said. "He wanted to keep you safe from the horrors he was working against. But it looks like they got the better of him." He said, hanging his head in depression.

That night, two women in the station dropped to their knees in despair, finally having discovered what they under the masks of their closest friends.


	78. Bitter Sweet Memories

**Sorry it's been so long since I updated. Life got in the way. However, I have a weeks breaks at school coming up in which I intend to update all of my Detective Conan fics. Caught on Tape is an exception as I'm in the process of rewriting it and have no clue what I'm doing.**

**This takes place around mange chapter 341. This was when Gosho started revealing that Vermouth was Chris Vineyard. However, as Conan was investigating this, he mentioned that he "didn't want to think so."**

--

Bitter Sweet Memories

There were many reasons Shinichi didn't want to believe that Vermouth was who he suspected her of being. It had nothing to do with her being a woman or that he didn't want to fight a woman. Rather, it was that he'd always sort of seen Her as a mother-like figure, which was strange because he couldn't actually remember her all that well.

There were flashed here and there through childhood. She showed up a lot with another person, a tall man with a slight mustache. The man's wife and son showed up sometimes, too – he remembered people talking about his resemblance to the child, almost like they were twins – but it was an image of Her, mom, and that man that he remembered at the foremost of his mind.

There was an instance that happened when he was a bit older. He must've already entered primary school, because he could remember telling Ran excuses why he couldn't play with her that day. Instead, he'd attended a funeral.

He could only recall a few details about it, but he could tell that that man didn't show up again in his memories. She was there, too, next to his family. She wasn't crying, not like everyone else, but she did appear sorrowful.

He remembered that a different woman started to show up instead of Her after that. This one was a lot like Her, but she seemed more secretive…and more vengeful. He could recall one or two times where she'd had a beautiful smile on her face, though. One of them was just a few months after the funeral. She was watching over him and the other boy from his childhood when they'd starting fighting over something. He didn't remember exactly what happened after that, but he remembered the three of them lying on the grass, laughing.

Ran had met Her once, too, actually. Not intentionally, but it had happened when he brought her to America with him. Mom had dragged them to a play, one with which She was associated, even if She wasn't involved. She had truly amazed him there and he found himself entranced. How could someone change faces so easily, so flawlessly? But it ended soon, She left before the play started and then there'd been the murder…

There was another event, much more recent than the other ones. He could recall this one with clarity.

--

_He was called out of his classroom at school. The class had been nosy, Sonoko in particular, but Shinichi ignored them. He discovered that he'd been sent an urgent message from his mother, summoning him to America, and that she'd booked a flight for him that night._

_The flight had been uneventful for the most part. He spent much of the time contemplating why his mother would suddenly call him to America._

_Once he'd arrived, he discovered that She had departed this world and that they were all going to her funeral._

_He'd blanked out after that. How could She be gone? She'd always been there, She couldn't go away now._

_The next two days before the funeral passed in a blur. He had repeatedly stated that it wasn't fair, why should She have died and answering himself that life just wasn't fair._

_The funeral was…strange. There were lots of people, but that was no surprise. She had been popular. There were many people from the press there, too. That part annoyed him. Couldn't they just give Her peace?_

_Then, something absolutely bizarre had happened. The woman he knew from being with Her said strange things to the press, one line in particular._

_"A Secret Makes a Woman Woman."_

--

He'd never really accepted that She'd died, you know? He was always thinking that it was just an act. She was a wonderful actress, after all, and She just couldn't be dead.

He may have been right.

She had become a master of disguise. And She had never shown up at the same time as the other woman.

He didn't know how it was possible, but then, he was a teenager trapped in a kid's body. He couldn't really say what was and wasn't possible.

The woman was actually Her, he just knew she was.

That's why he didn't want his suspicions confirmed. Because She just couldn't work for them.

His suspicions had to be all wrong. Vermouth was just some other lady, definitely not Her.

Right?


	79. Best Kept Secret

Best Kept Secret

Secrets were a way of life, weren't they? At a certain point, you just couldn't live without telling another lie to back up the previous one. But with each lie, the truth was being further hidden, just as it should be.

Because if anyone ever found out the truth, it would mean one very dead Kaitou. And he wasn't to fond of that idea, personally.

Although, technically, he could become a very dead Kaitou without the truth being revealed…it really just depended on who was doing the killing.

In any case, he had a lot of closely guarded secrets. One of the foremost, of course, would be his own identity. You didn't exactly advertise that you were an internationally wanted criminal, after all.

Another one was his father's secret occupation. It might not have mattered much if people found out, but guarding the secret was Kaito's way of protecting his father's memory.

However, those were moderately obvious secrets. The secret he really hid was the one concerning his targets. Namely, the big shiny gems he favored.

Even an idiot could tell he was looking for something. There were clear patterns behind his previous heists that showed he was only stealing things falling into a certain criteria.

What the idiot couldn't know was that Kaito had found that target long ago.

It had caused him a lot of problems, too. The thing was impossible to destroy. He'd literally tried _everything_. Nothing worked.

So he'd had to change his plans slightly. Since he couldn't destroy it, he needed to hide it somewhere. Since it would still be in existence, he couldn't let the killers in black know that he's found it.

So he kept stealing. He kept searching out gemstones that fell under that right criteria and stole them regularly. In the meantime, Pandora Gem was safely hidden in plain sight.

--

The cards had changed. A certain miniature detective had dealt them his own way. Not that it mattered. Kaito could compensate for the changes. That's what he _did_.

And so he invited Tantei-kun into his secret. He even revealed himself to the detective.

And the detective had trusted him in return. He'd told him everything, every little detail he had on the men in black.

They worked together from then on until they were eventually able to take them down completely. In order to do so, other people had to get brought in on the secret and Kaito accepted that. Even if they knew who he was, they'd never catch them. And they'd never be able to hang onto any proof that would hold up in court.

But through it all, there was one thing he never revealed.

The men in black were searching for immortality, that much had become obvious to everyone involved. They even believed they had a means of achieving it.

However, no one knew that that source wasn't as obscure as they all thought. None of them even realized that it was in their very presence.

And none of them ever would, that much Kaito would make sure of.

--

**I feel like I've written another one on the idea. Have I?**


	80. Seemingly Normal

**I've been rereading **_**Harry Potter**_** and now I really want to make Hakuba a Hogwarts student. So, here's your Friday the Thirteenth fic!**

--

Seemingly Normal

Kuroba-kun calls me skeptical, telling me I'm too closed-minded. I wonder what he'd say if he knew what sort of things were really in my mind…

--

It had been a long night for all concerned. The Kid had decided that four in the morning – on a Monday, no less – would be the ideal time to hold this particular heist. Even as the well-known Kid expert, I could hardly think of how he came to this conclusion.

However, the heist was over now and all the fans were headed back home and to their beds, all the officers were headed back to their offices and off to do paper work, and all the detectives – namely one – were off for a bit of well deserved peace.

It's been hours since I've had a moment alone that I could practice, I thought to myself. Sometimes I really had to wonder what had made me leave England and live amongst muggles. Honestly, I must've been half mad at the time. Although, admittedly, muggles like Kuroba and Koizumi, who actually believed in magic if not possessing a little magic themselves, were better than those stereotypical muggles who'd go out of their way to make your life miserable if they got even a whiff of 'magic'.

As a matter of fact, one of the best things about living where I am is that, if I mess up and show a little more magic in public than I should, people brush it off, already being used to Kuroba's unique tricks.

I plopped down on a bench in the park, groaning a little as I stretched. Gods, I'd been on my feet much to long. Glancing around, I pulled out my wand – Oak and Dragon heartstring – and murmured a pain-relieving spell. At this point – being seventeen and graduated from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry – I really should be adept at casting nonverbal spells, but I'd always had a bit of trouble thinking clearly. Not that I was the only one, by far. Hundreds of students in my year barely passed practical portion of the N.E.W.T.s. I did moderately well myself – read very good – but most magical career tracks just simply didn't appeal to me. I grew up in a muggle world and I was willing to continue in it…with advantages of course. Going through Hogwarts wasn't just for kicks, after all.

I sighed, reminiscing about my years at Hogwarts. I had been in Ravenclaw house – the house of those blessed with brains – and I'd been well accepted by my fellow Ravenclaws, even with my muggle-born status. However, I was given trouble occasionally. People thought I was stuck up and arrogant, claiming that, while I may have the brains to get by, I wasn't going to get friends very easily.

They were right, of course. I did make some friends, but they were always held at arm length, never allowed to get closer. That, above all else I think, made me truly intolerable to my classmates. I got by okay, though. I excelled in Transfiguration, a class run by the head of Gryffindor house. It was an enjoyable class by far, but I still had trouble dealing with the people around me.

Hell, I have that trouble now. If it weren't for Kuroba, Nakamori, and Koizumi, I'd barely socialize with my classmates at all. And even then, I wasn't exactly close to those three. Kuroba and Nakamori were the close ones, the ones that dealt with Koizumi and myself being there, but they could never be more than two, never allowed us to join them. It wasn't that they didn't want to, I was sure, but more that…well, they'd grown up together. Koizumi and myself simply couldn't break through that bond. It was impossible for us.

I sat thinking for another moment. I wondered if possibly Koizumi wouldn't mind another addition to the supernatural community. I wouldn't mind coming out of the shadows, not if it meant gaining a friend. And I had a feeling the two of us could get along well. If nothing else, I'd be able to fend off her attacks now.

--

**Muggles = non-magical folk**

**N.E.W.T.s = Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests – examination taken in seventh year**

**Transfiguration – a class using magic to change the form of matter**

**For some reason, I ended up writing this one in first person. Not sure what made me do it, but I haven't written in first person for a long time, so if you spot any mistakes, please tell me.**


	81. Helplessness

**Thanks for the editing advice on the last chapter. Went through and made changes.**

******Can you believe I've been working on this for over a year now?**

--

Helplessness

He thought secrecy was the way to deal with this. He thought that if no one knew Pandora was destroyed, they'd keep looking for it.

That was true. The problem was the things they did in their quest to find it.

They were killing people. They'd killed him, they were trying to kill his successor, they might try to kill his wife, and all for what? Because he hadn't let the world know he'd destroyed the Pandora Stone.

How foolish of him. He should've known they'd keep doing what they do, no matter what. And now he couldn't stop them. There was nothing he could do, even as he watched his son dance across the rooftops, avoiding bullets and police alike.

He couldn't stop them. He'd tried and failed, all because he'd taken the wrong path and had been secretive. And now his son was paying the price, forfeiting his life to the search for that thrice cursed jewel.

And there was nothing he could do.

--

**Okay, since I seem to be doing a thing with Pandora having been secretly destroyed already, I began to think about what would happen were that the case. Since they don't know it, it wouldn't change anything for them.**

**By the way, this chapter was from Toichi's point of view.**


	82. Off the Beaten Path

**Happy White's Day! For those that don't know, in Japan, this holiday was created as sort of the opposite of Valentine's Day. Basically, if you received a chocolate from a girl on February 14, then you (if you're male, usually, but it probably doesn't matter) give a gift in return.**

**Beware the Crack Ahead!! Actually, it's not that bad. I've done it before.**

**Okay, no longer White's Day thanks to this sites reluctance to let me into my Document Manager. Sorry.**

--

Off the Beaten Path

"Heiji! Why are we going to Tokyo, anyway? It's White's Day!" An irritated Toyama Kazuha shouted at her childhood friend.

"Exactly," Hattori muttered, brushing his friend off as he took a turn down another road, "and I have someone I'm supposed ta be meetin'."

Kazuha tried to ignore the clenching in her gut as Heiji said this. He had someone? Someone who wasn't her? "Don't tell me you're going to compare cases with Kudo-san _again_." She said scathingly.

"'Course not. Knowing Kudo, he's prolly trying to find some way to give a gift to Neechan."

Cold plunged through her stomach. Then he was meeting someone for White's Day, he had to be. But who? And how could she have never noticed? "I don't see why he doesn't just show up already. Poor Ran-chan has been suffering so much because of him." She said, determinedly not showing what she was feeling. "So? Whose this person you're going to meet?" And why would you take me along to meet them, she didn't say. She knew that if he'd had his way, she'd still be back in class in Osaka without his get-out-of-class-free card.

"None o' yer business, Kazuha." He retorted gruffly.

She huffed, turning her nose up at him. Fine, he could be that way. She'd find out soon enough anyway.

They turned at another intersection until the came upon a school. "Ekoda High School?" She read aloud, surprised, as Heiji marched through the gates, stopping under a large tree in full view of the entrance.

The bell rang within minutes of their arrival and Kazuha determinedly scanned the crowds for anyone who stopped to notice them. It wasn't working quite as well as she had hoped to single out the one Heiji was meeting, simply because nearly all the girls stopped to stare at the heavily tanned detective.

Eventually, though, as the trickle of students decreased, a group of four people came into view. Well, most of them did, anyway. Kazuha's view of some of them was obscured by a male upperclassman that was trying to hit on her. Apparently he'd been there the past minute and Kazuha hadn't noticed. Heiji hadn't noticed either, or he would've chased him off…or at least, that would've been his reaction in the past. Now Kazuha wasn't sure.

Nothing blocked her sight, however, when a wild haired girl took notice of them and scampered down the steps with an exclamation of "Heiji-kun!" Kazuha glanced over at her friend, ignoring her would-be suitor, and saw the look of elation on Heiji's face as he caught the girl in a hug.

Kazuha felt numb. This couldn't be happening. Heiji couldn't have moved on, moved away from her, he couldn't have!

"Hey, babe, what say we blow this joint, huh?" Her 'suitor' winked at her, leering.

Kazuha reeled back in disgust. "Uh, no." She managed to say around the lump in her throat that had nothing to do with the man in front of her and everything to do with the one that no longer accompanied her.

"Aw, c'mon, I'm sure I could give you a good time." He winked again.

Someone cleared their throat from behind him and glared. "I believe the lady declined." A flat voice said.

"Nah, she just don' know what she wants." He continued to grin, even though the other man was well over a head taller than him and much more threatening in appearance.

"I believe that's for her to decide." The tall man glared. "And she said no."

The lecherous boy frowned, but acquiesced, turning on his heel and marching off to find his next 'prey'.

Kazuha looked up at her 'savior' with wide eyes. The guy was really tall, with long-ish blonde hair and pale skin. He was also looking down at her with concerned hazel eyes.

Blushing brightly and trying to ignore her fluttering heart, she breathed a thank you. He nodded to her and invited her to come with him.

"A woman shouldn't have to walk alone." He said simply when she asked why.

--

**Now wait 'til we find out what Heiji says when he hears the annoying British detective is now dating him childhood friend. Then again, his response might not be printable.**


	83. Kiss Me, I'm Irish

**Happy St. Paddy's Day! One of my friends was wearing a necklace that inspired me today, so I decided I was going to write a holiday fic with the prompt: "Kiss me, I'm Irish."**

--

Kiss Me, I'm Irish

The morning of March 17 was one Hakuba Saguru did not deem of any significance. It didn't even cross his mind that a certain tradition was being carried out in other parts of the world. As a matter of fact, he didn't even realize it _was_ the seventeenth of March until he glanced at the date of the morning paper. Still, it did not strike him as anything important.

It wasn't until he was entering the school grounds and saw someone with a green bow in their hair that he recalled what people often did on this day, namely pinching anyone who wasn't wearing green. Being in Japan, a nation that didn't observe the Irish holiday, he shouldn't really be in danger of pinching as he often was back in England. It wasn't his fault green wasn't part of his regular attire and he saw no reason to dress differently for a specific day.

However, being that he was in a class with Kuroba Kaito, class clown, aerial gymnast, talented magician, and, just possibly, one of the most wanted criminals in the free world, he had to look out for things he never should have to in a normal environment.

He sucked in a deep breath just before opening the classroom door. With any luck, Kuroba wouldn't be there yet and he wouldn't be spreading around ideas about pinching.

"Hakuba!" A cheerful voice called as soon as he was in the door, dampening his spirits immediately. "Where's your green?"

Hakuba sighed deeply. "I have green on my socks." He deadpanned. It had been dark when he put on said article of clothing and he really had no idea what color they were, but he figured that if Kuroba actually checked and there was none, Nakamori would've had time to show up and clobber the magician.

"That's not enough!" Kaito frowned. "If no one can see it, it defeats the purpose!" He whined.

"I don't particularly care what purpose that is Kuroba-kun, but I'm sure the boy entering the class now with no sign of green on him would be interested in it."

Kaito blinked before a grin spread across his face and he bound across the classroom to irritate his new target, but not before a stage-whispered, ecstatic comment of "Hakuba's becoming _devious_!"

Relieved, Hakuba plopped down in his chair – eloquently, of course. He was nothing like Kuroba who would lounge all over the place just to be messy – and found himself jumping right back up when his bottom landed not on the firm wood of the chair, but on soft cloth. He turned a picked it up, shaking out a bright green shirt that said "Kiss me, I'm Irish" in bright gold letters.

"Oh, so _that's_ where that shirt got to!" Kuroba's voice said from behind him. He jumped and turned, eyes flying wide as lips landed unexpectedly on his.

"W-Wh – " He stuttered in shock.

Kuroba grinned at him. "Well, they _do_ celebrate St. Patrick's Day in England, after all. And besides, you never know, maybe there is a little Irish in you!"

Hakuba gaped at him as he vanished to go irritate someone else.

--

Halfway across the world, a middle-aged woman with red hair and pale skin sat down with a couple of friends and poured out drinks.

"Say, Mrs. Hakuba, have you heard from your son lately?" One of the woman asked, taking a large swig of green beer.

The redhead shrugged. "Oh, he's always been bad with calling home regularly. Boy's got too much Irish free spirit in him." She laughed.

--

**That…did not actually go anything like I planned. Oh well, hope you liked!**


	84. Devastation

Devastation

I'm in love. I shouldn't be…or rather, not with him. I _should_ be in love with Kazuha, that's what everyone expects. With Kazuha, I can grow old, have children, create a whole family. But it doesn't matter. I don't love her, I just don't.

The one I do love…he wouldn't return my feelings. I'm sure he's straight, how can he not be, the way he pines after Neechan? I don't even wish he loved me, not really. That would break Neechan's heart and that's not somethin' I wanna do. But…I do want his love. He's just so…amazing. It's embarrassing, but I truly idolize him. He's everything I would want in someone; he's a detective, interested in cases, caring, but not overly expressive, he's just everything I love.

I won't tell anyone, though. I don't want anyone to know about how I feel. If they knew, they'd act differently, expect different things from me and I don't think I could handle that. And Kudo…if he knew about my feelings, he'd be scared. He wouldn't consider me a friend anymore, I know he would. He'd prolly be scared that I'd make an advance at him. Problem is, I prolly would. If I could…if it wouldn't scare him away… but it would, so it doesn't matter. I'll just continue being the idiotic friend from Osaka who competes with him on cases. That's the me he likes.

--

The biggest shock of my life came to me the day Kudo Shinichi introduced Kuroba Kaito as his boyfriend.

Honestly, he introduced the other boy, the one who could almost be his twin, right in front of everybody, in front of Neechan…and in front of me. I couldn't understand it. Why would he do such a thing? Sure, he didn't know the news would hurt me, but surely he knew that Ran would be devastated.

It got worse. Kuroba came out and said what he was. How could Kudo date a _thief_!? It was impossible, not at all like the Kudo that I know…

Neechan confronted Kuroba, pulling him aside and asking why Shinichi would go with him, how he could allow Shinichi to dismiss his morals.

Kuroba replied smoothly. "Kudo Shinichi loves a challenge. The Kaitou Kid…_I_ am a challenge to him. And…well, no offense Mouri-chan, but what's different about you compared to his dozens of fangirls?" Ran reared back, hurt, and Kuroba smiled sadly. "Sorry. I know I'm not perfect by any means, but he chose to be with me and I ain't gonna chase him off." He glanced towards where I was hiding and I had to bite my lip from calling out and saying something in denial.

I had never expected Kudo to even consider men and to find out that he actually _preferred _them, but not _me_, well…my parents got very worried about me, even tried sending me to a shrink, when I fell into a bout of depression.

I think Kazuha figured out what caused it, not that it was too hard for her, not when she knows me so well. I was always talking about Kudo around her, so she may have suspected before, and my recession would've only confirmed it. She hasn't said anything, though, thankfully. Maybe she can help me get over Kudo, even if I know I'll never be able to think of her as more than a sister. Maybe I'll find someone else all together.


	85. In Over Your Head

**Well, I haven't updated in ages. Don't have an excuse, but I hope this makes up for it, at least a little bit.**

--

In Over Your Head

"Kudo Shinichi," A deep voice rasped from under a shadowed hood.

The young boy in question turned away from the crime scene he was currently investigating and blinked at the cloaked man. "Uh, yes?" The teenager asked hesitantly.

"We have a business proposition for you. Meet me on the roof in one hour."

"Wha – ? Now, wait a minute! I'm working on a case here and even if I were done in an hour, I'm not naïve enough to follow a stranger onto a deserted rooftop in the dark. I'm not interested in your 'business proposition'." Shinichi snapped. In all honesty, he hadn't meant for it to come out so harshly, but there was something about this person he just didn't trust. It didn't help that he couldn't see the man's face, or anything else about him, for that matter. Heck, all he could actually determine was his height. Shinichi shook his head. He didn't trust people who wore loose cloaks and long hood.

The hidden man appeared to withdraw slightly and Shinichi turned away from him. "If you'll excuse me," A hand caught his arm before he could move very far and something jabbed into his ribs. "That's not exactly a smart move to be pulling with all these officers around."

"These police value the life of one insignificant child. They won't fire on me, and I won't be forced to fire on you if you'll just cooperate." The gun dug into his side and the man began to lead him away from the crime scene. "Think of it as a new case, Detective. My…organization has a job for you, a case which they believe might be of some interest to you."

"And if it isn't?"

"Then you'll do it anyway."

"And I suppose if I refuse, you'll kill me?" Shinichi tried to sound bored and uncaring, but it wasn't working very well with a gun drawn on him.

"Oh, you won't refuse. Because even if you even think about it, Mouri Ran will be killed. And if you are still…unhappy with the circumstances, then it's fortunate for us that you lead such a…wide social life." The voice hissed. "We can kill off every one you've ever known. It would be better for all concerned if you simply did your job like a good little detective."

Shinichi went stiff, resisting the urge to turn and punch the man with everything he had in him. How dare he threaten Ran! How dare he – Shinichi bit his lip. If he attacked this man, he wouldn't make it any easier for Ran. "What do I have to do?" He ground out.

"Hunt down a thief."

Shinichi blinked. "What?"

"You will be joining an operative of ours named Snake. He'll give you all the information you'll need. After that, you'll be pursuing the thief, using your contacts in the police to your advantage."

"Contacts? I work murders, all my police contacts are in Division One, they don't work thefts." Shinichi pointed out. "Why am I pursuing him, anyway? From the sound of it, you already know who he is."

"You're going to kill him. For sure this time."

This time? What did that mean? And what was he supposed to do? He couldn't kill someone! But if he didn't, he'd be putting Ran and all his friends in danger! Did he value a stranger's life over his friends'? Was he really placing _value_ to human lives!?

"You know what happens if you refuse, Detective." The man warned. His gun was still aimed at Shinichi's midsection.

Kudo swallowed a lump in his throat. "I understand."

--

One month later, when Kaitou Kid sent an notice that he was going to steal the clock tower, Kudo Shinichi approached Megure Juzo, asking for him to use his influence to allow him to chase the notorious thief.

His request was granted, although he did get yelled at later by Nakamori Ginzo, the head of the Kaitou Kid Taskforce. He and Megure-keibu pursued the phantom thief by helicopter. He even stole Megure's gun and took a shot at the thief. He'd half hoped that, by so openly attempting to kill the thief, the police would realize what was going on.

No luck. In order to get to Kid, he had to shoot down a screen that was hiding his target. Kid escaped into the crowd and left Kudo with a failure. Fortunately…or perhaps unfortunately, the police held nothing against him. Some even commented on his daring and intelligence, to shoot at the deception Kid had created, exposing it for all to see.

--

Shinichi attempted to lead a normal life, trying to pretend the illegal aspects weren't happening. He'd even rewarded his best friend with tickets to Tropical Land when she won the Karate Championship.

He put all thoughts of the terrible things he was being forced to do from his mind and tried to enjoy his time with her. Unfortunately, they didn't seem to want him to do that. Ran and he went on the Mystery Coaster, but two men dressed entirely in black sat themselves in the very back seats.

When the ride ended, there was a scream and a headless body spewing blood. Shinichi sighed and called the police, bringing order to the chaos. He solved the case easily enough, but he had to make an effort to keep his gaze away from the two black-clothed men with murderous eyes.

Later, when he was guiding Ran out of the park, attempting to staunch her tears, he saw the shorter black-clad man running by. He turned briefly and signaled at Shinichi. He nodded back without thinking and he dismissed himself from Ran's presence.

He followed the shorter man's path until he came to a barren area behind the Ferris Wheel. There, the two men stood, waiting. Swallowing, he nodded his head. "I assume you need me for something?" He asked hesitantly.

"That's right, Detective." The tall one with long, blonde hair said. "You screwed up. And in our line of work, that isn't acceptable. Especially when there are indications that you deliberately botched the job."

Shinichi swallowed. "I – I…"

"However, you haven't exhausted your usefulness just yet, Detective. You see, our organization has recently developed a new drug. It's never been tested on humans before. Guess we'll get to see just how effective it is."

The short one came up behind him and hit him with something hard, causing him to crumple to the ground. The blonde grabbed his head, forcing a pill into his mouth with some water.

Shinichi swallowed and choked. "N-No, wait, you don't have to do this! P-please!" He gasped, his body on fire. He let out a strangled cry and finally blacked out.


	86. Therapy

**Hi, guys. Sorry, I know it's been forever since I updated. I promise I'll start working on more stuff and hopefully get some more chapters up of all my DC stuff. For now, though, here you are:**

Therapy

Sara Connes, Psy. D., new into the country from America, sat idly at the desk in her office. Her new patient was due any minute and she wanted to be sure to give a good impression. At four o'clock on the dot, her secretary buzzed her and waved the patient in.

"Good morning," Sara greeted easily, a pleasant smile on her face.

"H-hi." The patient said nervously, wringing their hands.

"Come now, dear, sit down." The patient acquiesced slowly. "Now, what seems to be wrong?"

"I – um…well, I seem to like…" The patient trailed off into a mumble and Sara had to prod a bit longer to get her answer. "I like stealing," the patient said, head in their hands. "It – I can't help it! It's so thrilling and – and addicting. It's so fun, but I know it's wrong and I don't know how to stop!"

There was silence for a long moment before Sara could gather her wits about her to comfort her patient. "There, there, dear. Why don't you tell me what you've done so far, okay? Then we can see how to fix it."

"Well, it started when I went out shopping with my mom. I saw a little trinket I wanted and I just… I didn't really mean to steal it. I just picked it up and Mom didn't notice and neither did the cashier, so I kind of just…walked out with it. And then I felt really good, like I'd just won or something, when I realized that I'd stolen it and gotten away with it. Then, later, when my friends and I stopped by the bookstore after school…I didn't have any money with me, but I saw a book I wanted. I was just browsing through it like we're allowed to, but when it was time to go, I didn't put it back. I…I hid it in my jacket and…I half expected to get caught, you know, and I know the consequences. I knew it was bad, but…well, it was sort of…fun…to wait and see if anyone would notice, if I'd get in trouble. I still haven't been caught, but it's happening more often and…I need to stop. I love it, but my friends and family…they'd be so disappointed in me if they found out."

"Alright, Ayumi-chan, it's alright. I will do what I can to help you." She said, smiling soothingly at the young girl.

--

Omake

Conan bounced nervously on the balls of his feet, glancing occasionally from side to side. He really didn't want to do this, but he didn't feel like he had a choice. Justice had to be served, even when it hurt more than helped.

He bit his lip. Was it his fault? Was it because he hadn't paid enough attention to her? Was it because of the life that he'd exposed her – exposed them all – to? He should've known better than to become involved in children what with the way his life went. But he couldn't help it. He'd been lonely and lost and miserable and they'd come to him with an offer of friendship. Who was he to turn that down?

Still, if he hadn't accepted, maybe the girl would still be her sweet, innocent self, the self that breaking the law had never occurred to. The self that only saw crime on television and spent her time watching superheroes cleanse the world of the "bad guys". She was only seven, she shouldn't know the reality of how the world worked, none of them should. But they did…because of him.

"Conan-kun!" A cute brunette shouted, waving wildly as she jogged up to him. "What's up, Conan-kun? You know usually ask me to meet you like this."

"Ah, sorry, Ayumi-chan. I know it was kind of abrupt, but…" He sighed, "Look, I think I need to talk to you about kleptomania…"


	87. Self Administered Justice

Self Administered Justice

"I'd like to remind you that you only have ten minutes to speak with him," An officer told them, unlocking the cell door. "If there's a problem, the guards will assist you as immediately as possible."

"Thank you," Kuroba Hikaru bowed, stepping into the prison cubicle after her son. Nakamori Ginzo followed behind her and pulled the door shut, allowing the guards to relock it.

A ragged man sitting calmly on the bed smiled at them, holding his arms out to embrace his family. "I'm sorry," he murmured softly into his son's hair. His arms tightened around his wife who was quietly sobbing into his shoulder.

"Why'd you do it, Dad?" Kaito asked hesitantly, watery eyes gazing up at his idol, "how could you get caught?" Nakamori coughed in irritation behind him – of course he'd caught Kaitou 1412 – but refrained from saying anything, hoping to preserve the moment for the now broken family.

"I was cocky, Kaito, too cocky. That's something you have to learn. Don't ever get overconfident – it could be your downfall."

Kaito nodded fervently, absorbing the information. "But…_why_ did you do it, Dad? You taught me to abide by the law, so why didn't you?"

Toichi clapped his son on the shoulder. "Let me tell you a story, Kaito. It's not a happy story, but it's one you need to hear. You see, there are these really bad people out there, Kaito, and you need to be wary of them. Honestly, I don't know that much about them except that they don't like people knowing anything about them. One of them, he called himself Snake, approached me and requested – well, as much of a request as a gun to the head is – that I find a particular jewel for them. All he would say about the jewel was that it was large – a gem inside another – and glowed red under the full moon. I did as he asked – I will admit that I was very motivated by his threats – but discreetly, on the side, I began to look into this organization that he claimed to work for. It wasn't pretty, Kaito. These people are notorious murderers in the underground, most especially because they've never been caught. No one knows who they are and no one admits to knowing they exist. To do so would be the equivalent of signing your death warrant. Remember this, Kaito, because if they think you know anything, you'll be in grave danger, understand?" Kaito nodded slowly, eyes wide. "Good. I'm not trying to scare you, but you need to be aware of this. They came after me, so they might approach you one day. I want you to be prepared. Especially since…I might not be here when that happens."

"What do you mean, Dad?" Kaito asked worriedly. Behind him, his mother had stiffened in fear.

"Remember I told you they don't like people knowing about them? They know I know. And telling someone, particularly a police officer," he indicated Nakamori, "is probably one of their greatest fears."

"Toichi," Hikaru started around her tears, "if you're in danger, surely the police can protect you."

He shook his head. "You don't understand, Hikaru. If I'm suddenly put in protective custody, they'll know I've told and all of you will be targeted. Besides, I doubt a few more victim would stop them," he stated bitterly.

"But, Dad, if you were threatened, how come you're in prison. It's not your fault you did something bad!"

Toichi smiled sadly. "If I'd gone immediately to the police, perhaps it would've been alright, but I still broke the law, Kaito." _They came to me because I was already breaking the law_, he did not say.

"But – " Kaito's protest was cut off with the guard rapped on the door, instructing them that their time was up. Toichi hugged his family closely, poker face scarcely holding up under the barrage of tears.

Six days later, a mournful Nakamori called the Kuroba household to regretfully report the death of one Kuroba Toichi, murdered in his jail cell. The investigation was going nowhere, Nakamori informed them, and based on what Toichi had told them in confidence, it likely never would. Justice was to be found elsewhere.

Holding his sobbing mother in his arms, Kaito ineffectively tried to ward off his tears. His father, his idol, had died because the justice system couldn't protect him. Effectively, because the police had caught him, his father had been killed. It was the police's fault because they didn't know about the bad men and couldn't stop them. How many others had died because the police didn't know? What could trigger their knowledge without leading to more deaths?

--

Eight years later, when Kaito finally felt that he could fit into his father's old uniform, the Kaitou KID made a reappearance. He knew it was risky. The inspector put in charge of capturing Kid was the same one who'd caught his predecessor, the same one who knew KID's most likely replacement. He noticed, however, that, as adamant as Nakamori-keibu's yells were that he'd arrest KID, he never succeeded, and not for lack of skill. As a matter of fact, he'd come frightening close to catching KID more that once and yet, he never did somehow.

Soon after his reappearance, KID was shot at for the first time. By some coincidence, he came to realize that these bad people thought that Toichi had somehow escaped. They thought Toichi was still KID, which meant Kaito and his mother were still safe for the time being. Meanwhile, KID would reveal the bad guys and destroy the damn gem they'd killed his father over. Never again would he be the powerless child that trusted the police and the justice system to solve everything. Sometimes, you had to find justice yourself.


	88. Pain for the Sake of Love

Pain for the Sake of Love

Hakuba stared worriedly at the back of the magician's head. The brunette had limped into class that morning three minutes and twenty-six seconds before the bell was due to ring. Nakamori-chan had arrived six minutes earlier and had pointedly ignored her long-time friend since he'd entered the room.

Now, in the middle of math class, Hakuba found himself paying more attention to the pleading looks Kuroba sent his seatmate rather than the lecture being given. Why was there so much animosity between them? Was Kuroba injured? He certainly seemed to be and he worried more than a few people when he didn't even perform a magic trick when the teacher called on him. Instead, hw hauled himself out of his seat, and away from Nakamori, and staggered to the front of the room, wincing whenever his right foot touched the ground. Slowly, he wrote his answer on the board, leaning heavily on his left leg.

Once he'd finished, the teacher stopped him on his way back to his seat, asking him if he was alright. Kuroba answered brightly, his cheerful smile undermined by the way he carefully kept all his weight off his right leg. Unable to do anything, sensei waved him back to his seat.

During lunch, in his pursuit to find somewhere quiet to eat, Hakuba found himself privy to an argument between the two individuals that had been on his mind. Seeing them ready to lash out at each other, he made to back away, but their attention immediately snapped onto him and Nakamori snagged his wrist, pulling him forward and shouting in his ear.

"Hakuba, don't you think he should have at least _told_ me!?" She demanded.

"Uh…"

"Just look at the way you reacted! Jeez. Even if I should've, you didn't have to throw your dad's _gun_ at me! For god sakes, I'm lucky you didn't think to use the trigger!"

Hakuba gaped, eyes wide as he surreptitiously scooted away from her as much as he could with his wrist still firmly in her grasp. "N-Nakamori-chan?"

She frowned, "I wasn't trying to kill you, baka, I was just mad. How would _you_ feel if you looked out your kitchen window to see _me_ pressing someone up against the wall and practically molesting them!?"

"Well, I sure as hell wouldn't throw your dad's gun at you!"

"Excuse me," Hakuba interrupted, "but why did you even have his gun, Nakamori-chan?"

"I was helping him clean it. It's not like I don't know how. Dad taught me how to deal with guns years ago."

"Why does that worry me?" Kuroba muttered.

Hakuba bit back a noise of agreement and cleared his throat. "Kuroba, you should've had more sense about where you were fraternizing with a girl."

Nakamori coughed and Kuroba's face flamed up. Hakuba blinked. There was nothing particularly strange about his statement, aside, perhaps, from the…sensitivity…of the subject.

"It…uh, it wasn't a…girl." Kuroba mumbled.

"It – ? Oh. Oh!" Abrubtly, the Brit turned bright red. "Um."

Yeah."

"See? Don't you think he should've told me?" Nakamori demanded.

"Uh…yes?"

"Okay, fine, maybe I should've!" The blushing magician piped up, "but you didn't have to attack me, crazy lady! Don't you agree, Hakuba?" He turned a glare on the flushed blonde.

Hakuba nodded fervently, avoiding meeting his eyes. Nakamori frowned. "Sorry, Nakamori-chan, but even as…surprising…as Kuroba's actions my have been, violence is never the answer."

"That's what you think," Nakamori muttered. "Fine," she said louder, "maybe my reaction was a bit over the top, but _still_…it would've been nice to find out in a different way." She sighed, "next time, at least introduce your boyfriend to everyone before playing around in the open, okay?"

Kuroba blew out a loud breath, setting his bangs aflutter, and nodded. "Alright, alright, fine. I just…didn't know how you'd react."

"Are you kidding? I've known you were gay since we hit junior high. Actually, I thought you had a thing for Hakuba-kun, but I guess not. Oh, there's the bell. See you in class." She waved, leaving the two boys with their jaws somewhere around their feet.

--

Omake

"So, Aoko, you know how you said I had to introduce my boyfriend before playing around in the open?" Kaito asked after class, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. Aoko nodded warily. "So…you've met him. Does that make the public fair game now?"


	89. Meet the Family

Meet the Family

When Kaito started leaving early on the weekends with a smile and a "be back late", Hikaru didn't think much of it. After all, there were plenty of things a teenage boy could be doing all Saturday. But…every Saturday? Sure, the city's entertainment value was great, but not enough to completely absorb someone whose attention span was as short as Kaito's for very long.

So one Friday evening over dinner, Hikaru delicately slipped a little tidbit into their conversation about Kaito being welcome to invite friends over for dinner whenever. She'd even added that she'd make sure there was no fish for the occasion.

Her son didn't get the hint.

The next Friday, she mentioned the number of couples she had seen at the market that day and how she wondered if some of the people she knew had paired up recently. There had been a lot of people she hadn't recognized, after all.

Kaito had twitched slightly, quickly stuffing a bit of rice in his mouth, but still said nothing. Hikaru frowned.

The following week, she put on a movie with dinner and commented how nice it'd be to whole up with someone on the couch and enjoy it. Kaito had looked at her funnily and glanced sadly at the portrait of Toichi on the wall, but hadn't said anything.

Hikaru let out a long suffering sigh. This wasn't working. Being subtle had failed. It looked like she'd have to get obvious about it. Having lived around magicians for so long, obvious wasn't something she particularly enjoyed. Magic, her husband had once said to her, was all about subtlety, diverting attention this way and that. Even when you did something that appeared totally in your face, it was all a cover for something much bigger that was much harder to see.

Unfortunately, Kaito knew this, too. He was a master at it.

Not for a second did she believe her son hadn't figured out what she was hinting at. He was hardly blind, after all. So, for whatever reason, Kaito felt the need to hide his activities from her. She didn't think it was because of anything dangerous – Kaito always had an upbeat air around him when he left, not the type of atmosphere there would be if he was in something hazardous. So there was some other reason he didn't want her to know what he spent his Saturday doing.

That week, she decided to change the routine, bringing the subject up on a Thursday night rather than the usual Friday. After all, Friday nights were supposed to be a prime time for dating couples or some such.

Kaito's reaction when she'd asked him where he was going on Saturdays had been interesting. "Playing detective" indeed.

Well, she'd smiled pleasantly, scooping fish onto his plate, why don't you bring your detective over for dinner this weekend. I'm sure they'd love to meet the family.

Kaito had shifted uncomfortably, though whether that was from her comment or the presence of fish, she couldn't be sure. Either way, she made it clear to him that she was expecting a guest sometime this weekend and that he'd better not disappoint.

She'd dropped her ladle when she'd opened the front door to find a mirror of her son fidgeting on her porch. Still, after the initial shock, she'd let him in and found herself rather liking his polite mannerisms and the easy bantering he fell into with her son.

Her boy had good taste.


	90. Meet the Friends

Meet the Friends

"Why do I have to do this again?" Shinichi asked quietly, his voice pitched slightly higher than was really comfortable, but any lower would have seemed strange given his current appearance.

"It's very simple, Shin-chan," Kaito replied, a cheeky grin on his face, "everyone here believes that Kuroba Kaito has a nice, young girlfriend out there and they demanded to finally meet her. So, they threw this party in your honor. And since you didn't want me bringing some random girl to satisfy them, you got to wear this lovely satin dress all for me," he wrapped an arm possessively around his – her – waist and pulled him/her close, burying his nose in the long wig Shinichi was wearing. "You smell nice, by the way. Different than normal."

"It's Mom's perfume," Shinichi muttered, face red. "C'mon, we're nearly there, aren't we?"

"Ah, yes, just around the corner up here; House number 512. And remember, Shinko-chan, you're not a detective tonight. You're just a girl that's going to have fun with her boyfriend, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. And I suppose the interrogation by your friends is all part of the fun?"

"Of course. Look on the bright side. You'll get to see just what it's like for the criminal when you drill them for answers. 'Course, you're not going to jail for a wrong answer in this case…most likely." Kaito laughed cheerfully and rang the doorbell to the proper house. A young girl with pigtail opened the door almost immediately and energetically ushered them into the room. Shinichi hadn't a clue what the house normally looked like, but he was fairly sure the disco ball was a recent addition. The dance floor, too, most likely, seeing as it was basically a stretch of carpet that had been cleared of all furniture.

"We've been waiting for you!" The bouncy girl informed Kaito before turning to his companion, "My name's Keiko. Yours?"

"Matsushi Shinko. You can call me Shinko, I guess," Shinichi smiled hesitantly.

"Okay! Guys," She suddenly shouted, calling the attention of those in other rooms, "the guests of honor are here! We've got our very own Kaito with a cute little thing called Shinko!" She pushed the two of them forward into the crowd of people who were all shouting for attention, trying to ask questions and make conversation all at once. Music blared from two loud speakers on either side of the room and Shinichi found himself feeling rather claustrophobic in the middle of everything. He ducked closer to Kaito, curling in on him and sighing with relief when he steered her (?) to the edge of the cluster and began to disperse them, bringing their attention to other things. Somewhere along the line, Shinichi found himself (or herself?) dancing with the popular magician, spinning and moving to the beat of the deafening music.

"Your friends are slightly frightening," Shinichi shouted to be heard.

Kaito chuckled in response. "Yeah, I know. But they've been curious about you for ages, ever since Aoko manage to drag a confession out of me about where I'd been going as of late a few months ago. I'm actually surprised it took them this long to put something together."

"Someone managed to get a confession out of _you_?" He asked incredulously, coughing slightly at the strain the higher voice was causing on his vocal cords.

"Well, Aoko knows all the tricks." Kaito shrugged, pulling his date towards the refreshments. "Remind me later, by the way, I need to teach you some voice exercises. Keep you in practice so that it doesn't hurt like this in the future."

"Future?" Shinichi choked, "Exactly how many times to you expect me to do this?"

"Oh, I don't know," Kaito leaned forward, a predatory grin on his face, "now that I've seen how sexy you look in a dress, I'll have to see about getting you in one more often. Or in nothing at all."

Shinichi blushed, smacking Kaito lightly on the arm. "Baka. You make a better girl than I do, anyway."

"But you're so cute and flustered!" Kaito exclaimed, laughing jovially. "Besides, how often do I get you to myself without a dead body turning up or a crazy karate chick or a hot tempered detective shows up? I bet they wouldn't even recognize you like this!"

"Sure they would." Shinichi mumbled, "And they'd never let me live it down. Anyway, how come my friends can know you're a guy, but I have to pretend to be a girl for yours?"

"Well, I suppose you could've been a guy, although that would've disappointed more than a few people, I'm sure. The problem is, you couldn't have been Kudo Shinichi." Kaito dropped his head onto Shinichi's narrow shoulder, closing his eyes and sighing deeply. "For one, if Hakuba caught wind of it, he'd probably accuse you of helping Kid plan his heists, regardless of the fact that most of them aren't even in Beika or that he doesn't even have any real evidence pointing to me being Kid. Still, Hakuba's pretty influential. It wouldn't be good for any hint of your involvement to be leaked. It'd hurt your reputation and Nakamori-keibu probably wouldn't let you into heists anymore and what fun would _that_ be?" He pressed a kiss to his shoulder, through the thin material of his dress and slid a hand over the curve of his ass. "And I wanted to see you cross dress."

Shinichi slapped the hand on his ass, but hugged Kaito to him, threading his fingers through soft hair. He smiled gently and ignored the looks, whispers, and giggles that were receiving, choosing to just enjoy the moment. After all, Kaito was right. They really didn't get to spend much time together with out _something_ cropping up and he valued the time they spent together. Even if he had to wear a dress to get some of it. Besides, if Kaito liked it, who was he to complain. Much, anyway.


	91. Operatic Adventures

Operatic Adventures

The stereo in the Kudo residence blared random music from all cultures as once Kuroba Kaito danced around inside, singing along to the foreign lyrics, voice slowly pitching up into a falsetto before traveling down to a tenor and lower. On the couch in the living room he was sauntering around in, the house's owner sat, completely absorbed in _The Study of Scarlet_. As the song ended and Kaito's voice completed a run through of all available pitches, he plopped onto the couch, dislodging the book from the other's grasp, and leveled an amused gaze on the detective.

"You know, even with the people who knew I do that, I've never gone through my voice warm-ups without getting a few looks. And yet, you didn't seem bothered in the least."

Shinichi sighed, marking his page in the book before setting it aside. "You're not the only the only voice manipulator around, you know. My mother used to practice like that, although she often used opera. Something about breathing practice at the same time."

Kaito got a contemplative look on his face, pondering that. Then, with a wide grin, he vanished. Shinichi blinked. "That wasn't meant as a challenge, idiot," he muttered, picking his book back up.

--

The Kaitou Kid heist was unexpected by the police force, who were only informed two days before it was set to happen. Fortunately, the riddle had been quite simple, although there had been a strange reference to an English musical. Hakuba had caught the reference, but could scarcely comprehend it in the context it was given. There were no theater groups playing that at the moment and none of the theaters in the area had anything Kid would be interesting in anyway.

Off to the side, Kudo Shinichi kept his suspicions quiet – he was quite sure Hakuba would jump on any indication that he was friendly with Kid outside of heists. He could feel a headache creeping up on him, though. Whatever Kid was planning, it couldn't be good.

Soon, the heist was underway and, as soon as Kid grabbed the jewel, multiple traps had activated at once, in capacitating most of the taskforce. Then, with a spin and a snap of his fingers, Kid made the lights go dim and music start up. He got down on his knee in midair for the beginning of the song and gestured vaguely towards Shinichi, although it could've been Nakamori he was referring to instead – the police officer certainly seemed to think so, taking offense. Kid opened his mouth and a long, high pitched, melodious not came out. He danced beautifully to the part the character he'd adopted had done in the opera until Nakamori finally freed himself and, with a yell of rage at the mocking Kid was subjecting them to, launched himself at the thief.

Instead of fleeing like he usually would, Kid caught the keibu by the wrist, using his momentum to spin him around and incorporated him in the dance, duck taping his mouth shut along the way so that his vehement swearing wouldn't ruin the song. As the music and his voice rose in the final crescendo, the Kaitou flung the fuming Nakamori out again, straight into the British detective, who was tied up to the side of the jewel case, hair now bright purple. Shinichi sighed. At least he'd gotten off easy, handcuffed to the door handle. He was sure the thief would show up later, insisting on massaging his wrists. After all, the standard issue handcuffs used by the police were nowhere near as comfortable as the fuzzy ones Kaito liked to play with and the thief knew it.

--

**To be honest, I have no clue what song Kaito was singing. The idea just hit me while I was eating breakfast and demanded to be written. Apparently the plunny didn't think far enough ahead to come up with an actual opera.**


	92. Bloody Affairs

Bloody Affairs

Mouri Ran was worried, hopefully without cause. She'd been the happiest she'd ever been when Shinichi had finally come home and finally, _finally_ pronounced his love for her. She could finally face the world with a real smile on her face and not bother denying anything when Sonoko ranted about her 'husband'.

So why was it that, at this happiest of times, all she could think about was how Shinichi still left so easily to chase criminals? Sure, it was his nature, but after what had happened before… Well, you'd think he would've learned. She wouldn't be able to bear it if something happened to him again, if he left her again…

That was something else that bothered her. Even when he was here, it sometimes felt like he was leaving her. Not physically, but…emotionally, perhaps? She couldn't help but notice that her boyfriend treated her…well, not like a boyfriend should. The way he acted around her still screamed 'best friend' and it wasn't supposed to be that way. From the chaste kisses he bestowed her to the loose hugs he embraced her with…none of it seemed as intimate as it should.

Maybe he was just taking his time. He was, after all, new to this. But still, hadn't the time he'd been gone been long enough? It certainly had been for her and he'd _said_ that he'd figured out he loved her early on in his absence.

Maybe that was part of the problem. He said he loved her. Always, always, he said he loved her. Never had she ever heard him say "I love you". She knew he was shy sometimes and she always hoped that was why…but wasn't it weird. The only way he really portrayed his affection for her was through other people. Oh, multiple times, when he'd gone off to chase another murderer, Agasa or Ai-chan or, even once, Megure-keibu had all told her that he said he loved her or that he clearly did. But that was the whole problem. 'Loved'. Was it past tense because they were retelling the words or was it something Shinichi had said originally, something that would definitely be a problem in the future if that were the case?

All she could do was hope. Besides, who could he possibly love but her. All those years and he'd never really showed anyone the affection he'd shown her…right?

--

The great detective of the east panted heavily, leaning against the wall for support. Damn, that thief could run. Even with his now long legs, he could barely even hope to catch up with him. Sighing, he shoved himself off the wall and gave chase once more. He stumbled into the doorway to the roof, fumbling with the handle in his exhaustion before slamming the damn thing open and nearly face-planting on the concrete roof. Pulling himself together, he quickly scanned the roof. Kid was there, of course, waiting for him like the good gentleman thief that he was, and the surrounding roofs appeared to be vacant of any shadows with malicious intent. The taskforce were still wandering in circles down below, chasing the multiple different Kid decoys that had been employed. The English detective had been taken out early in the game by a high-speed peanut, of all things, that had not only knocked him unconscious upon contact, but also managed to die his hair and skin a bright indigo and neon yellow mix.

Shinichi smirked. They would be uninterrupted for a while unless Nakamori got his wits about him and remember that Kid always went for the high places. Until then, it was just them, thief and detective.

"About time, Tantei-kun," Kid mocked, a broad smirk on his face – as always – and hands tossing the large emerald back and forth, back and forth.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," Shinichi retorted, still rather short of breath. His eyes tracked the emerald for four consecutive tosses before traveling away from the prize and up into his adversary's face.

Kid's grin almost seemed to widen, if that were even possible, and he deliberately stowed the emerald in a jacket pocket. Shinichi strode closer, step by cautious step. He never knew when the thief would decide to take flight, but, fortunately, he usually chose to stick around and play.

When he was close enough to the thief that he could see exactly how the shadows roamed across his face, he halted, staring up at him. Kid reached out a gloved hand and lightly caressed his face, eyes twinkling when Shinichi leaned into the hand a fraction. This time, he took the step forward, knowingly removing the mask that shadow and distance provided. He couldn't bring himself to care as the detective stretched up and planted his lips firmly on his own.

No, he didn't care. After all, this was hardly the first time and his unmasked face had yet to appear on the wanted posters. His tantei-kun wouldn't turn him in, that much he could be sure of. Besides, if Kid were gone, who would the detective be left to play with?


	93. Friendly Displays

For Nataeiy1, who gave me the idea. Sequel to Meet the Friends, chapter 90.

Friendly Displays

"Jeez, Kaito, you're so embarrassing. I can't see how you can willingly submit yourself to…_that_." Shinichi muttered, wrinkling his nose at the gorgeous young woman who skipped lightly beside him.

"It's really not that bad once you get used to it, you know." The definitely female voice crooned. "Besides, you're the one who wanted to see the new bookstore in Beika mall."

"What does that have to do with you wearing a dress?"

A dainty shoulder shrugged upwards, dragging the form-fitting material of her dress with her and outlining her ample breast perfectly. Shinichi blushed. Intellectually, of course, he knew the damn things were fake, but that didn't stop the more adolescent part of his brain from commenting on just how nice his boyfriend's curves were. Shaking his head, he tuned back into the conversation to hear Kaito's response.

"Well, there's this really nice clothing store right next to it and I get a lot of my wardrobe from there – my female wardrobe, that is." He – although he was a very convincing she, wasn't he? – giggled shrilly, arm latching through Shinichi's to drag him there faster.

"See? Look, look, don't they have just the cutest outfits here!?" She demanded, a wide smile on her face as she held up two or three examples. "Ooh, I wanna try this on! Wait here, 'kay?"

Shinichi closed his eyes, wishing it would all just go away as Kaito disappeared from view into the changing room. And he'd thought shopping with Ran was bad. At least then, it was normal for her to be squealing over the cutest new fashion and trying things on left and right. But Kaito…if he hadn't had other, quite intimate reassurances that Kaito was indeed a boy, he might've questioned it…more than a little bit, too. At least he hadn't gone to try on the lingerie, though. Sonoko had done that once, dragging Ran into it and making him stand there and…critique them. That was never a safe situation to be in.

"Shinichi?!" A voice suddenly shouted to his right.

Speak of the devil. "Oh, Ran. What are you doing here? And Suzuki…right, never mind, I don't want to know what you're doing."

Ran giggled at that, but Sonoko harrumphed and flipped her hair over her shoulder. "And what about you? Waiting outside the _girl's_ changing room, someone might think you're a pervert!"

Shinichi scowled. Thanks, Sonoko. Now some of the girls around him were giving him skittish looks, as if afraid to approach him or the stall he was standing in front of.

"Seriously, though, Shinichi," Ran smiled, "what are you doing here? You have to admit, it's rather odd to see you in a clothing store of all places…especially considering you're not trying on anything yourself."

"Ah, I got dragged into here by someone." He grinned sheepishly. Ran opened her mouth, presumably to ask who, but was cut off when the curtain was pulled open and the equivalent of a model leapt out of the stall, latching onto Shinichi's neck, inadvertently rubbing her supple assets against him. Although, considering this _was_ Kaito, that may have not been so accidental. Either way, the action caused the detective's entire face to flame up, especially when he noticed that the rather convincing female was wearing a very, very _small_ dress that was as low cut as a neckline could possibly get while still being considered a neckline and short enough that there could've only been a millimeter or two of thigh _not_ showing. He swallowed around a large lump in his throat.

Ran gaped at the two of them, clearly taking in the outfit with just as much shock as he. Her response, however, was a bit different. "Sh-Shinichi! I thought you had a boyfriend! Don't tell me you broke up!?" She shrieked loud enough for them to receive more than a few looks. Shinichi's face turned, if possible, even redder.

"_Who_ is she!?" Sonoko demanded, getting right up in his face. How there was enough room for that with how close Kaito was, he wasn't sure, but then, he wasn't exactly thinking as clearly as he usually would be at the moment.

"H~iii!" Kaito's feminine voice crooned happily in English. "I'm Alice Lorensko-san," she said, switching between English and Japanese randomly with no warning. Shinichi blinked. When had his boyfriend turned gaijin?

Ran and Sonoko looked at her calculating for a moment before simultaneously breaking out into merry laughter. "Hello! I'm Mouri Ran and this is Suzuki Sonoko." Ran grinned widely.

"Your accent is so _cute_!" Sonoko exclaimed, tugging on "Alice's" arm. Really? He'd thought it was rather grating on the ears, actually. But then, what did he know? He was only a lowly, non-cross dressing guy. "C'mon, c'mon, let us see the dress. It looks so good on you!"

"Hee hee, thanks!" Kaito beamed, releasing his chokehold on Shinichi to twirl around, although why was beyond him. Wasn't twirling supposed to be reserved for those dresses that actually had enough fabric to twirl with them?

"You know what you should try?" Sonoko began, rifling through the display racks. "This," she held up a nice shirt and skirt combo that, while nowhere near formal, was at least less revealing and therefore capable of being considered decent.

"Oh, you're right. And you know, this one here would look just perfect on you!" Kaito held out another outfit and together the girls burst out into a round of giggles.

Shinichi cleared his throat, making a moderately futile attempt to avoid looking at the cleavage Kaito was presenting. "I'll just, um, go look at the bookstore, hmm?" He asked, wondering vaguely if they even realized he was still there.

"Sure, sure," they responded, already diving back into the changing stalls.

Shinichi shook his head and left as quickly as he could. He was never going shopping with women again, no matter what they bribed him with. Even if Kaito technically wasn't a woman.

--

A good couple of hours later, when he'd finished skimming the multiple murder mysteries that had appealed to him, he headed back to the clothing store, wondering where Kaito had gotten to. Had he forgotten about Shinichi and gone ahead home? Or maybe Ran and Sonoko had dragged her off to get a bite to eat or something. He sighed. It wouldn't be the first time the girls had completely forgotten about him once they got into the spirit of things.

Well, it would be best to check anyway, just in case Kaito had decided to wait there for him or left a message with the clerk or something.

What he saw inside was not what he expected. At all.

How the heck had the store converted itself into a fashion show? Complete with a runway and everything! He pushed through the throng of men that had gathered around the show and began searching for his companions. Or maybe a security guard. That might bring some much needed order to this chaos.

Whatever he was looking for, it quickly slipped from his mind when a roar of cheering and catcalling rose, apparently at the entrance of one of the models. He glanced at the stage and choked. No, not just one of the models. Kaito. Kaito was prancing down the center stage, showcasing a designer outfit that was almost certainly out of all of their price ranges. Hadn't he seen that very same outfit on TV the other day? Worn by some celebrity in Hollywood maybe?

He frowned. This was ridiculous. Kaito wasn't even a _girl_ and he was getting more whistling and cheering than most of the real women!

That was it. He was never going to a clothing store again. He'd just mail order anything his personal wardrobe needed. It simply wasn't worth the risk of ever entering a store like this again.

On stage, Kaito caught his eye and winked, cocking a hip seductively.

Well…maybe he could risk coming occasionally…if only to see what Kaito would come up with next.


	94. Orders

Orders

Miraculously, when the police arrived on the murder scene, one Edogawa Conan was not there. Less miraculously, though, the Shonen Tantei-dan found themselves on the gruesome scene with not a clue as to what they were going to do without Conan's guidance.

Ai sighed. She'd been looking forward to going home and executing a new test that had occurred to her in the middle of class. Why did _she_ have to get held up by a murder investigation? Wasn't that Kudo-kun's deal? Was it contagious or something?

"Ah, Haibara-chan?" Takagi asked, almost hesitantly. It amused her that an adult could be afraid of her when she was in such a small, unthreatening body. Not that she couldn't do some real damage if she put her mind to it.

"Yes, Takagi-keiji?"

"Um…where's Conan-kun?"

Amusement shone in her eyes. The police really had come to depend on Conan in their cases, hadn't they? "He had to go home early. But Takagi-keiji, I think I know how to solve this case if you'll just…assist me." She grinned, supposedly innocently, but there was a razor sharp edge to her smile that made Takagi wince even as he eagerly followed her nonsensical instructions.

Chortling quietly, she watched as the other officers were drawn into the trap Takagi had fallen for. Easily, with the air of a queen, she sent them off on random chores that hardly related to the case at all. Although, really, the purse she'd made them buy did relate to the case. The victim had had one too, after all.

As the Shonen Tantei continued to try to figure out what was going on with the case, Ai pulled out her phone and texted Kudo all the information pertaining to the case. He'd have it solved in no time and she'd get a free purse out of it.

And if anyone asked, she was really doing them a favor. After all, it was best for them to notice _now_ that the squad had a bad habit of following anyone's orders than for a murderer to realize this and act on it.


	95. Death Magnet

Death Magnet

Few humans ever realized that they weren't alone in the world. Even among those that believed, very few realized just how much of their beliefs were right.

In the underworld, however, the bustling residents could hardly be bothered to care what the humans may or may not believe. Generally, it made their lives easier if the humans didn't believe. After all, most humans that did believe in them, feared them. They _were_ considered to be agents of death, though, so it was partially understandable.

Agents of Death. Truly, the name was more impressive than their job. The job simple entailed fetching a certain amount of souls each month and delivering the to their respective afterlives – Death prepared certain "treats" for some individual souls, depending on what they'd done in life.

The problem was, however, that there were only so many dead souls per month and there were a lot of Shinigami that had to fill the expected quota. If you didn't get the right amount of souls…well, Death liked having his subjects and was never please when he didn't get as many as expected.

To help the poor, overworked Shinigami, one company decided to bestow their knowledge to the world at large. With such a choice decided upon, it wasn't long before a new billboard arrived on the Shinigami Highway and a new commercial appeared on the Death Channel.

"Having trouble filling your work quota for the month? Have no fear, Death™ has a solution perfect for you. Just follow this guy around and you'll never have to worry about running out of souls." With the ad, a picture of Edogawa Conan was always shown, a bold red arrow pointing directly at him.

The results within the next month were better than anyone had anticipated. Death was overjoyed with the way his realm was being filled with subjects.

And, well, if Edogawa Conan noticed that a crowd of Shinigami began following him around, he never commented.


	96. Conan Experiences

Conan Experiences

The poor newbie in Division One was running into all sorts of problems. First, he'd been called in to work a murder at four am only to find that the body had apparently been frozen for four weeks, making the trail go completely cold. He'd been panicking already and was about to just submit his resignation and get it over with when, out of nowhere, a seven year old little boy went and solved the case. Solved it, just like that, before turning to him and piercing him with disappointed blue eyes.

He felt ashamed at his readiness to give up and, for some reason, he felt really guilt, like he'd let the whole world down. He didn't know what it was, but something about that kid's gaze made him feel like he'd utterly failed and that he was a disgrace to the entire police force.

Shivering in agony, he trudged back to the station to fill out is paperwork. Special paperwork, he discovered, was necessary when the name Edogawa Conan had to be logged as part of the case – an event that apparently happened fairly regularly if the routine process with which the strange paperwork was filed was any indication.

Fetching and filing the forms, he'd received many sympathetic glances from other officers in the bull pen that he had a hard time understanding. At one point, a veteran officer had arrived and questioned the solemn, resigned atmosphere.

"Newbie ran into Conan-kun already," someone explained.

"Ah," the other officer remarked, as if that explained everything, which just left him more confused than ever.

By the end of the day, he was feeling much worse for wear and jumped whenever someone even so much as mentioned the name 'Conan'. Considering the boy was apparently on first name terms with half the force, this happened rather a lot.

One of the older officers took pity on him, slipping him a business card. "Look," he said, "we've all had to go through our first Conan Experience. It's disturbing, I know, but you get used to it after the third or fourth time you run into him. He might pop up and surprise you from time to time after that, of course, but that feeling, the one where he looks at you and you feel like you should be putting yourself in cuffs, that feeling goes away fairly quickly…usually. Anyway, this here's a business card for Division One's personal shrink. I think you should pay her a visit."

"I didn't realize divisions could have their own psychiatrist."

"I don't think they're really supposed to, but the higher ups made a decision when they realized that more than half the pay of Division One's officers went to various analysts out there. So, in order to save time and money – and to have something to use for future reference and personal use – they found the best of the best and employed her, just for us. She specializes in counseling people through Conan Experiences. 'Course, her patients aren't exclusively D1's. Any of the other divisions that work with Conan-kun generally end up going to see her at some point. Heck, it's even been made part of the routine for anyone on the crime scene to go see her after the perpetrator is processed and yet another file is added to the Conan Box. As a matter of fact, more than half of the solved cases to ever pass through our district are filed in the Conan Box. That boy seriously runs into more crime than the average officer does."

The newbie's eyes were wide. "Wait…backtracking a bit, does everyone who was on a crime scene with Conan-kun really need to get therapy? I mean, really?"

"Well, you were on one earlier, weren't you? What do you think? If police officers who deal with the strangest and worst of people on a daily basis need counseling after Conan-kun, then the civilians that have to deal with him on a crime scene most definitely do. Heck, the higher ups had to go and add classes in Conan Experiences to the list of criteria for psychologists who counsel inmates. Some of the criminals who had gotten released threatened to sue for cruel and unusual punishment if they were left alone without escape from Conan-induced hysteria."

"I – is Conan-kun really that much of a menace? I mean, yes, he was certainly disturbing, but this all seems blown out of proportion."

"I have to say, when this first started, I thought that, too. But just wait until you've been here for a while. I guarantee at least a quarter of your cases are going to involve Conan-kun in some way and then…well, you'll see exactly what I'm talking about. That kid is one of the scariest things that ever happened to Tokyo. And yet, I'd never want to live in a Tokyo without him. Sure, ninety-nine percent of Japan's murders happen with him in the vicinity, but because of that, all ninety-nine percent of those can be filed as closed, without a doubt as to whether the right suspect was apprehended. In turn, it takes a load off the courts, since nearly all of the criminals confess and except a plea bargain. The ones that hold through a trial usually end up sentenced to incarceration, anyway. So you see, Conan-kun may be directly correlated with the crime rate, but we're really better off with him here. Besides, we've got to get paid for doing something, right?" He grinned, patting the newbie on the back. "Really, though, you should go see her. It'll make you feel better and help you cope with future Conan Experiences. Oh, one piece of advice, though. Don't _ever_ even _think_ about committing a crime in Tokyo…or even in Japan really. Somehow, through some miracle or something, Conan-kun will always be there to stare you down with that unnerving blue gaze."


	97. Baffling Death

Baffling Death

From the moment he first saw the scene, Conan knew things would be bad. If the actual crime didn't do it, it was the way all the officers acted overly protective of him, attempting to shield his eyes from the harsh truth.

Considering they didn't have a problem with him crawling around a bloody, disemboweled corpse, it must've been truly horrific.

Worming his way past a blushing Ran – which was rather strange considering there had been nothing to make her blush, but then, girls were rather bizarre themselves and Ran did space off with a flush often enough – and ducking under forensic investigators, Conan finally got to see what was so bad.

Oh. _Oh_.

This was not going to be fun to solve.

To make things worse, he had to keep three innocent kids from getting too much of an eyeful in this case while he figured out what to do since he didn't have anyone to put to sleep and host a deduction show with.

"Geez," Genta groaned, hands crossed across his chest and a sulky frown firmly planted on face. "I don't see what their problem is. It's not like we haven't been on murder scenes before."

"I know," Ayumi bemoaned in agreement. "Ne, Conan-kun, do you know why they won't let us see? Maybe we could help! The Shonen Tantei have solved cases before!"

"A-ah, w-well…" Conan stuttered, face tinged red. There was no way he was explaining things to these kids. He didn't care how many murders he inadvertently dragged them across, there were some things they were definitely still too young to know about. "I don't know. They won't let us see." That aside, how _did_ the killer manage that, based on what was present at the scene? Unless…but how could he ask? And even if he did figure it out, _how_ was he going to let the police know? A seven year old _certainly_ couldn't explain these things.

Should he leave it to the police to figure out alone? They probably could if they just _looked_, but…well, that wasn't something you generally looked too closely at.

"Hey, Nee-san?" Conan asked, tugging on the skirt of the victim's girlfriend. She'd apparently been…involved…with him when he'd suddenly died. "How did he die? When did he die? How long had you been with him before he died?"

"Ah…" The lady looked bemused. "Um, I don't know how he died. But, um, he died just before we…" she blinked down at him, "oh, er, maybe you should go home, boya. This really isn't…"

Conan's eyes flashed. Got it. He knew how it had happened. But the proof…he could prove how he died – well, he would if the forensics obeyed his request…which would look _really _odd coming from a kid – but there was nothing definite tying the culprit into the crime, other than the fact that there was only really one suspect anyway, but…

Well, he'd just have to improvise. At least by that point, the police would be on the right track. Which brought him back to demonstrating exactly what happened…

He dropped his head into his hands with a low groan. Today was most certainly not his day.

"Ano…Keiji-san," he began hesitantly. "Have you figured out how he died yet?"

"You're not supposed to be on the scene, Conan-kun," an elderly forensics officer scolded him.

"But they already removed the body, right? Maybe I can help!"

"Well, I suppose it couldn't hurt…" He shrugged. "We found he was killed by poison. We still don't know where it came from, though."

"Is that so?" Conan asked in a bright, innocent voice. "Could it be from something on his body? Maybe something he touched?"

"Well, there was poison on his hand, but there were no traces found around the apartment. And…well…there, ah, wasn't terribly much _on_ his person."

"But that narrows down what it could've been, right!?" Conan cheered.

"Ah, I don't think…"

Conan frowned. This was getting really irritating. He just wanted to get this over with and go home already. "Even if it seems doubtful, if there's nothing else, doesn't it have to be that?"

"W-well, I suppose…but…ah, I'll contact the squad about it anyway. We _are_ stuck after all, and it _is_ being thorough," he mumbled to himself, walking off to make the call.

Finally. Now, if this was confirmed, surely the police would see through this case.

"Keibu!" The officer shouted a short time later. "We've found the source of the poison, but…um…" A bright blush was covering the old man's face.

"But what? Where was it?" Megure asked pointedly. The officer swallowed and glanced at the children, walking over to whisper the results in Megure's ear. In the corner, Genta sulked over not even being allowed to hear the small facts.

"What!?" Megure yelped, face rapidly turning a deep crimson. "But…" He cleared his throat and turned to the victim's girlfriend. "I'm afraid we need to ask you some questions."

When they began speaking with her, she immediately responded with rage. "But why would I do that!? Wouldn't I run the risk of poisoning myself?"

"Nonetheless, there was no one else with the opportunity to, ah, apply the poison. So…perhaps we should continue this at the station."

The police carried the culprit off and Conan grinned in triumph. Finally. Now, he could go home…and tell Ran all about it…maybe he'd better stop by elsewhere first. Telling Ran the victim had been killed by a condom wouldn't be a very fun experience. In fact, it'd probably get him landed in therapy or something. Ran was _very _protective of her young charge. She'd probably think such a case was mentally scarring…which it kind of was, come to think of it. But there was no way he was going to share that with some therapist. Maybe he'd just stop by Agasa's instead. Ai and the professor would laugh at him, no doubt, but it was better than the alternative.

--

**Yes, I killed someone with a condom. I'm quite proud of myself.**

**Although discussing with multiple male friends how I could kill someone using a condom was a bit strange…**


	98. Torture Through Pain Relief

Torture Through Pain Relief

"Shin-chan, save me! The evil oral surgeon is coming to get me!" Where Kaito came from, Shinichi wasn't sure, but somehow, the magician thief had found him on the streets of Tokyo and latched onto his back. While he was out with Ran, Hattori, and Toyama.

Needless to say, Shinichi wasn't the most pleased he could be to see the other boy. "I won't bother asking how you found me. Why do you need saved?" He asked, voice totally deadpan, ignoring the shocked looks his three friends were shooting him.

"I'm getting my wisdom teeth removed! I tell you, the heinous doctors just want the chance to get into my mouth!" Kaito whined, detaching himself from the detective's back.

The four teenagers blinked at him, dumbfounded. Shinichi cleared his throat. "Kaito, haven't you been complaining that your jaw has been aching for the last three weeks?"

Kaito bit his lip, gazing at him through tear-filled eyes, "kiss it better?"

"How would that even work? Your wisdom teeth are in the back of your jaw. If someone could get their lips anywhere near the back of your jaw, from the inside, then they deserve to go in the Guinness Book of World Records."

"Well, we could always make out instead?"

"Um. No."

Hattori chuckled, apparently getting over the fact that his friend had just been assaulted by some random guy. "You know, that could make a pretty good sales factor. _This man can kiss your wisdom teeth! Buy him now for $9.99! The first five callers will get a sample before purchase, so call now, and remember, it's only $9.99!_'" He cackled loudly, much to Shinichi's mortification as passers-by turned to stare.

"What am I, a male stripper? You can't go around _selling_ me!"

"Who said he was talking about you?" Ran asked, giggling slightly. "Unless, of course, you _can_ manage to kiss his wisdom teeth. If so, I demand a demonstration or I'll bill you for the calling charge!" With that, she and Kazuha burst into wailing giggles as Shinichi's face slowly turned redder and redder.

Demons. He was consorting with demons. That was the only explanation for the pure torture he was being put through.

Kaito leered at him. "Well, come on, Shin-chan. Give me that free demonstration. And, ah, if you _are_ thinking of a career track as a stripper, I'd be happy to serve as your sounding board."

Shinichi groaned. "Die, all of you. Die and come back as something pleasant."

"Frankly, I consider myself quite pleasant as it. Besides, if we dropped dead, you'd be stuck solving the case, with yourself as the only suspect."

"With you, I'm sure there are any number of people out there that would take great pleasure in murdering you."

"But you're the only one here now with the opportunity to kill me. If you'd like to play doctor after attempting murder, though, I'm game."

Shinichi finally gave into the urge to slam his head against the wall as Hattori and the girls cracked up laughing again, Hattori going so far as to roll on the floor, cackling madly.

"I hate you people. So very much."

"Love ya too, 'Shin-chan'!" Hattori crooned. Shinichi kicked him.

--

**This actually stemmed from an IM conversation with my friend who's getting her wisdom teeth removed. I offered to kiss it better before I thought about it and realized it wouldn't work so well. When I started to fic it, I originally wanted Heiji to say what I did, advertising the 'new type of sexting (sex over text messaging),' but that only would've worked with them speaking in person. Oh well, this works too. Hope you liked it!**

**Also, Guinness Book of World Records does not belong to me.**


	99. Theatrical Performances

**Partially AU.**

--

Theatrical Performances

"You're so _lucky_, Kaito," his childhood friend tugged on his sleeve, demanding attention, even as all she did was complain. Kaito just grinned. He perfectly understood craving attention. "I can't believe you managed to get this chance! I didn't even know you did drama! Well, of the acting variety, anyway. You do quite a bit of other types."

Kaito's smirk twisted downward on one side, but he didn't bother retorting her comment – _she_ was the drama queen here, thank you very much. _He_ was the classy one that didn't get bothered by the drama – and instead opting over gloating internally at his triumph.

It wasn't like he'd won the award by chance, after all. "Well, I only started acting recently, when I decided to join the drama club. Lucky me I chose the right time." Just the time when the award offer had been advertised in the local newspaper, actually. "I didn't think I'd get chosen, being a newbie and all, but I guess I act really well!" Extremely well, in fact, and he was counting on that.

After all, the award gave him the opportunity to act in a play with some major stars. A play that just so happened to feature a jewel encrusted urn. Even if the large sapphire featured on the urn wasn't the one he was looking for, this whole occasion was just too ironic to pass up. Pandora's Box, indeed.

He wasn't quite sure which part he'd get to play, though. Greek Myths didn't really include many extras. Still, even disregarding the whole Pandora bit, it _was_ pretty cool that he'd be sharing the stage with some extremely notable actors. It wasn't like every high schooler could say that they'd met Chris Vineyard or Fujimine Yukiko. There was another star involved in the production, from what he understood, but whoever it was apparently hadn't made a big impact of the Japanese audience yet.

It was kind of intimidating, actually, if the notorious Kaitou Kid was even capable of being intimidated. After all, one mess up from him could totally ruin things for these huge stars. They probably weren't terribly pleasant when something went wrong, too.

"Oi, Kaito, are you listening to me?" Aoko demanded, hands on her hips and cheeks puffed out in annoyance.

"Of course," he answered easily, flipping her skirt before she got the chance to quiz him about her topic of conversation. She responded with a surprised snarl, swinging her bag at him before procuring a mop out of thin air. "You're totally jealous of me." He crooned, laughing as he jumped over one of her swings.

"I am NOT jealous of the likes of you!" She roared, nearly clocking him squarely between the eyes. He sweatdropped in mid arch when the fence he'd bounced of off splintered under her blow. If she ever caught him, he would probably end up in the hospital under intensive care. Girl clearly did not know her own strength.

"Sure you aren't!" He chortled, flipping away from her. "Well, gotta go see the theatre people. Later, Ahouko!"

"BaKaito!" She screeched after him, turning away with a huff when he disappeared from sight. Stupid boys.

--

Professionals were very orderly about things, it seemed. As soon as he'd arrived at the theatre, someone had asked for his name, given him a stack of paper, and directed him down a little hallway in the back where he'd find his dressing room before barking out that they didn't have time to deal with him, so he'd better get a move on.

Kaito frowned, but obeyed silently. They were the experts, after all. Still, wasn't theatre supposed to be fun?

He flipped through the booklet of paper, noting that one character's lines had been highlighted. So, he'd be playing Prometheus, then. Getting his liver picked at by eagles everyday for the rest of eternity. What fun.

He looked up to realize that he'd reached his dressing room, a small door at the very end of the hallway with a handwritten sign tacked up on it that read "Acting Intern".

"Oh, are you the award winner?" A voice behind him said.

He turned in surprise – he hadn't noticed anyone approaching him – and was struck half speechless at the sight that greeted him. A boy about his age and height stood in front of him, a similarly gobsmacked look on his strangely identical looking face. His figure and body structure were bizarrely similar to Kaito's own, too. In fact, the only difference Kaito could discern in a cursory glance was the other's neatly combed hair and his deep blue eyes. Kaito's own hair was a messy jungle of knots and his eyes an indigo tint.

The other boy cleared his throat, eyes wide. "Wow. I feel like I'm staring my twin in the face or something."

Kaito grinned. "No kidding." He coughed lightly, "Well then, Twin, I'm Kuroba Kaito. Nice to meet you. Oh, and yes, I did win the award."

"Kudo Shinichi. Same." He reached out a hand and clasped Kaito's firmly. "I'm playing Epimetheus, Prometheus's brother. I was instructed to help you learn your lines and whatnot. We have a rehearsal in two hours. You aren't expected to know your lines yet at that point, but we'll start working on the blocking."

"'Kay." Kaito nodded. He was looking forward to working with his 'twin'. Something about him intrigued Kaito greatly…aside from the looks, that is. "Um, one question. I'm familiar with the basic plot of Pandora's Box and I remember Prometheus being in there, but who was Epimetheus?"

Shinichi smiled. "The version of the myth our scriptwriter based his piece on had Epimetheus start the story by giving gifts to all the animals on earth on Zeus's request. That was why Prometheus stole the fire from the gods, because Epimetheus ran out of gifts by the time he got to man. He was also entrusted with Pandora as a sort of revenge from Zeus. He was punishing man with a beautiful, deceitful woman because they'd come to acquire fire and he was punishing Epimetheus for 'encouraging' Prometheus to steal from the gods by leaving him with the blame for Pandora's actions."

"Such an understanding god, Zeus is." Kaito snarked.

Shinichi laughed. "Well, at least in our version, Prometheus helps humans by hiding Hope in the box as well. Some versions have Hope unable to escape the _pithos_ because Zeus wills it not to."

"Sucks to be the humans in that tale. So, I'm a savior, huh? Not a bad reason to be stuck in agony for eternity, I suppose."

Shinichi shrugged. "Prometheus was a thief. What's more, he stole from a group of people that considered themselves wronged by the Titans previously."

"You think he got what he deserved then?"

"Maybe. There are reasons to steal after all and he was technically doing it in order to fulfill Zeus's orders. Still, a thief is a thief."

Kaito winced internally, even as he nodded along with Kudo's statement. "Yeah, I suppose so. Guess it's a good thing for thieves nowadays that torture's also illegal, huh?"

Kudo snorted. "Guess so. Anyway, we should get started. I'll sit in for other people in your scenes. For now, just read your lines and try to memorize them."

"Okie-dokie." Kaito opened the door to his dressing room, inviting the other in.

Oh yeah, this play would be _fun_, even if the gem wasn't Pandora.

--

**There was going to be more of this about how Chris was Pandora and Yukiko was Aphrodite, but somehow it didn't really fit. Oh well, maybe I'll continue you it sometime.**

**Also, I've posted a poll on my profile. Please vote as to whether you'd like Through the Looking Glass to continue past 100 chapters or if you'd like me to start a new oneshot series because 100+ chapters is an awful lot.**


	100. Keeping Hope Alive

Keeping Hope Alive

It's funny how some ideas can keep you going forward, even when you no longer believe in them. Take the Apotoxin, for instance. For ages, the idea of getting the cure has been all that has kept me going. Without that hope, I never would have been able to stand all the murders I run into each day.

I've realized now, however, that while the hope kept me going, the result was no longer something I was interested in. As much as I want to be Kudo Shinichi again, I've realized that the Kudo Shinichi that I want to be is lost in the past. If I could go back into the past and be Kudo Shinichi, I would certainly want that. Except…well, then I wouldn't have what I have now. The kids, the friendly partnership with the police, the exchange of information with the FBI, the enticing case of the Black Organization…

But the Kudo Shinichi of the past, isn't it possible that he could acquire all of that stuff? Especially since going back to the past would leave me with the knowledge of the Black Organization. Wouldn't it be possible?

Sure, of course it would, if I somehow had the power to travel to the past and use the non-existent antidote. But I don't, so there is no point in fantasizing about it. Still…I like to hope. Hoping is all that keeps me going, even though I've given up hoping for a cure.

I won't tell anyone that, though. I may no longer need that particular hope of an antidote to keep me going, but others do. Haibara needs to keep working on the cure because she doesn't know what else to do. If she were to give up the search for the antidote, she wouldn't know what else to move onto to. Trying to find the antidote is all she's really done as herself since she shrunk. To let that go…that would have to be terrifying. So I can't tell her that I don't want it anymore. If she chooses to give it up, she has to do it on her own.

I feel kind of guilty, because it's possible she's doing this just for me, even if she doesn't want to. Haibara's funny that way. She still feels guilty about something she's only very slightly, indirectly responsible for. She will do whatever she can to make that up, even if no one is asking her to. I hope that if she no longer wants to look for the antidote, she won't. And if she does ever find it, well, I guess I'll just have to say no. I don't know what either of us will do after that, but I will certainly help her in any way I can. After all, it's thanks to her that I have stayed sane as long as I have. I may no longer need the idea of the antidote, but I did once and she is the one who kept that hope alive.

When the time comes, when she needs it, I will support the one who has always supported me.


	101. Explanations, or Lack Thereof

Explanations, or Lack Thereof

Mouri Kogoro sees more than people think. Oh sure, sometimes his booze-addled brain makes it hard to process things, but he does see more than anybody expects of him. Not that he minds this. No, indeed, he encourages it. If people don't realize he's seeing it, they won't have to explain it.

It's not that he doesn't want the explanation. He is a detective, after all, and information is like food and drink to him, but…there are some explanations that he's just not ready for yet. Like Ran, explaining that she loves her detective brat and that she's someday going to leave in order to be with him. Like Eri, coming clean that she doesn't hate them, but that she isn't quite ready to make things proper again…

Like Conan, explaining what the hell is wrong with him because no matter how used to it everyone in Beika seems to have become, it is NOT NORMAL for a kid to be that smart and look at the world through those cold, calculating eyes as he effortlessly sniffs out the culprit.

Those explanations…he knows they will come one day. Maybe they won't be voluntary, in the latter's case, and maybe they won't be quite like he's expecting them to be, but he knows that they will come. He knows Eri and he knows Ran and, much as he might hate to admit at times, he knows Conan, too. He knows what they are like and how their minds work and he knows that some day, they are going to present him with the explanation that he's not ready for yet.

He can deal with that, because he knows that just as he isn't quite ready to hear it, they aren't ready to give it yet, either. He can live with that. By the time they're ready, he should be, too. And if he's not, he has his coping mechanisms. Sure, booze and cigarettes will probably be the death of him one of these days, but when he needs them, they won't fail to support him. They are his fallback insurances, and he holds them close to his heart, strange as that may be.

There are other explanations he doesn't think he'll ever be ready for, though. Like Megure-dono, coming clean on his intention to retire over a couple of beers. Like Matsumoto-keishi, bestowing upon him the news of deaths that he doesn't want to know about…

Like Conan, detailing just why murders follow him like ticks to a dog.

He is scared of that explanation and he doesn't think that will ever change. It's not that he fears the child himself, no not really, although he does have the good sense to be wary of him. But it's not Conan he fears. Not, it's the powers emanating around the boy, powers that he seems to be generally unaware of, that draw the murders towards him.

He doesn't want to hear about those powers, doesn't want them confirmed as the unbreakable grip of Death. Instead, he'd rather close his eyes and believe, hope, that it is the unbiased fingers of Justice that surrounds the boy, using him to carry out its duty. He wants to believe that more than anything and so, he pretends that he doesn't see and he pretends that he doesn't notice Conan pulling the strings from behind during a case, and most of all, he pretends that he isn't afraid of a boy that barely reaches his knees, but even so, exudes powers that have brought full grown men to their knees as he reveals them as the filthy criminals they truly are.


	102. Rotten Bargain

Rotten Bargain

Blam.

Blam.

The shots resounded around the mostly deserted range, nearly deafening the user through the thin, practically useless hearing protectors.

She didn't want to do this. She never had. But there hadn't been an alternative, not after what had happened to her husband.

She let the empty magazine slide from the Colt M1911 and clatter harmlessly to the floor, the noise loud in the absence of the shots. Silently, the man in black standing next to her handed her another .45 ACP clip.

Blam.

Blam.

Absently, she wondered if her watchdog had gone deaf. He wasn't wearing protectors, after all. He just stood there, never saying a word, his body not reacting to the sudden loud noises at all.

Blam.

Blam.

Blam.

She wished she didn't have to do this. Wished she could leave. She sometimes wished that she had never started, but it was the only price she could pay for the guarantee she needed.

Blam.

Blam.

She didn't have that guarantee now, not really. And she couldn't demand it, not without revealing more than was safe.

Blam.

She did this to keep him safe. It was the only choice she had now that her husband couldn't protect them. But he wasn't safe.

Blam.

Blam.

Maybe if she told him, he wouldn't do anything that would make them target him. But how could she ask that of him? He would be revolted by what she was doing and moreover, how could she ask him to give up the only legacy his father had left him?

Blam.

Blam.

Twice more, she squeezed the trigger, eyes narrow and imagination working overtime to provide her with images of those who threatened her families, letting them take place of the flimsy dummies she was practicing against.

Blam.

Blam.

Once again, she slipped the clip from the gun, turning to her watchdog and holding her hand out for the next magazine. She spun around to face him, ready to grab the next clip on her own if she had to, but her watchdog stayed her hand, eyes looking somewhere behind her.

Slipping the hearing protectors from her ears, she looked at one of the men responsible for making her live this way, for taking her husband from her, and for putting her boy in danger.

"You have orders." The man rasped, eyes cold. There was no room for failure in those eyes.

"Yes sir," she inclined her head the barest minimum, showing courtesy only where she had to.

--

**Okay, sorry if this was a little unclear. The plunnie absolutely demanded to be written this way.**

**Basically, this spawned from a thought of how little consideration the Gosho boys showed their parents that are no doubt worrying over them endlessly. Then I spent a little too much time thinking about how Kaito's mom wasn't known to do anything during the day and she is, presumably, a caring mother, so she would do whatever she could to protect her son…**

**Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed!**


	103. Respectfully Recovering from Loss

**Request from Katty008. Sorry it took so long to get out.**

--

Respectfully Recovering from Loss

They thought he didn't understand what was going on. He thought they were very naïve to think that. After all, while some of the particulars were beyond him, he _was_ his father's son. Even at nine years of age, he knew what death was and he knew what it meant.

It had never affected him personally before. That was the only reason he was sitting in the corner, head buried in his hands. He didn't understand why this time was different from all the other deaths. Why did it being personal change anything? It shouldn't have; he didn't even really know the deceased. It was just…he'd seen the affects death has on a family before, but it hadn't _mattered_ to him before. It wasn't personal before.

Turning his head, his eyes found and lingered on the visage of a young boy, so terribly similar to him in appearance, standing right next to the coffin, head bowed. He'd seen a child suffer because of the death of a parent once before on one of his father's cases and, while he'd felt sorry for the kid, it hadn't affected him like this.

Maybe it was because it was his face the boy was wearing. He recognized it; it was the serious mask he'd picked up from his father for use on cases. It didn't look right on the other boy, especially when he looked up and those heartbroken eyes were revealed for all the world to see.

A woman, presumably they boy's mother, embraced her son, tears pouring down her face, and Shinichi had to avert his eyes again. He didn't get it. Why did these people's pain feel so personal to him? He's only met them once or twice before, really, and it shouldn't have been any different that his father's cases.

It was. It hurt that that boy's face, so alike to his own, had to display a mask to hide his pain. Why couldn't he just show his grief openly? Wasn't it possible that that would make him feel better?

Shinichi frowned, finally rising from his seat in the corner to approach that coffin and lay down his offering. He did so silently, respectfully, but he couldn't help but watch the other boy out of the corner of his eye. He wanted that boy to stop hurting, wanted him to smile like Shinichi remembered him smiling once in the past, carefree and full of joy – an expression that suited his face much better than anything he was seeing now.

He wanted to see that smile again, so maybe that explained what he did next. It was the only rationalization he could think of, really. Why else would he have walked up to the boy, who was practically a stranger, bow before him, and kiss him on the forehead. It didn't really make any sense why he would do that, but even as the entire congregation stopped and stared at him, his embarrassment didn't compute. After all, the look of pure shock on the other's face was much better than the expression that had previously occupied it.

He decided he rather liked that surprised face, especially when the other boy stopped his wide-eyes staring and bestowed upon him a tentative smile that was even nicer to see on his face. Shinichi smiled back, bowed to the boy's mother, to the coffin, and then turned and left, suddenly feeling much better about everything.

--

**Okay, I have to say that I don't know a single thing about Japanese customs in regards to funerals and I've only ever attended one funeral in the U.S., so this was just kind of based on a general knowledge of "gather to pay respects". **

**Hope you enjoyed!**


	104. Cornered

For Rasei.

Cornered

Takagi Wataru was much more observant than most people thought. For this reason, he was somehow more of a threat than the rest of the police. He was patient and he listened. If one wasn't careful, they could find themselves divulging information they hadn't intended to.

Conan was reminded of all this as the other man, smiling pleasantly, so understandingly, slowly cornered him. His only escape route was being blocked by Mouri Kogoro, a man who had previously been considered an idiot by the boy.

He'd forgotten that, while Mouri may have lost himself in booze, he was once a notable police officer with an impeccable record. He saw more than he seemed and he knew what to watch for. He wasn't someone you wanted to cross.

Conan had made a serious error in judgment when he'd dismissed the two as harmless. He was paying for that now.

"I think we need to talk, Conan-kun," Takagi said sweetly.

"Uh, uh, d-do we?" Conan asked in his best little kid voice. A nervous tick developed by his eye.

"Oh, definitely." Occhan gave him a shark grin. "There are some things you need to tell us about."

"Really? L-like what?"

"Hmm, perhaps the fact that you are lying to my daughter?" Mouri growled. Conan squeaked.

"And withholding evidence of a crime from the police," Takagi added. His pleasant nature was starting to get rather creepy.

"N-no, I'm not. I-uh," Conan shifted anxiously, his hands twitching sporadically. Sweat beaded above his upper lip. "I don't know what you are talking about."

"Sure you do," Takagi persuaded soothingly, "about this last case. There's something important you have to tell us, isn't there?"

"No!" Conan insisted, "why would there be!?"

"But Conan-kun," this time it was Mouri and Conan swore he'd almost never been more terrified and disturbed in his life than when the gruff old man referred to him by his 'real' name in that crooning voice. "You know you have to come forward and talk about this. We know you know how police procedure works. You don't want to get in _trouble_ for keeping it secret, do you?"

"U-um…I-I really don't…I…" They were staring at him, both giving him that disappointed stare that from Takagi made him feel like he'd just kicked a puppy and from Mouri just made him feel disturbed. And he had no choice, did he? They knew and he couldn't keep it from him any longer. "I didn't want to lie to Ran." He began.

"But you did," Mouri coaxed. "And you tried to lie to us, but it didn't work. Now come on, Conan-kun, where is it?"

Conan blinked. "Umm…where is what?"

"The candy bar the victim was holding earlier. You took it. Now where is it?"

"Wait…what? You…_what_ candy bar!?" Conan asked. What the hell were they talking about!?

Mouri and Takagi looked at each other, then looked back at him, surveying him with a slow, calculating stare. "Guess he didn't do it." Mouri muttered.

"It must've been Chiba-kun, then. Really, a police officer should know better." Takagi grumbled. Conan stared. What the heck?

"Time to go interrogate him, then?" Mouri asked, a small grin quirked on his face.

"Looks like it."

"W-wait! You…you cornered me to ask about a _candy bar_!? You honestly thought I had removed a piece of evidence from the crime scene!? I…you…" Conan trailed off as words failed to express his offense. They had thought that he, a detective, had taken a _candy bar_!? Granted, he _had_ technically removed a piece of evidence, but the police hadn't noticed it and he was almost positive it was related to the Black Org. But still! Sure, he looked like a kid, but did they really think he would take a candy bar from the victim? What was the victim doing with a candy bar, anyway?

"Sorry, Conan-kun," Takagi raised his hands in a placating manner, "we didn't mean to offend you, but we had to figure out who took the chocolate. It _is_ a crime scene, after all. Anyway, bye!" And with that he walked off. Mouri, who had apparently become good friends with the keiji randomly, followed after him, tossing a wave over his shoulder.

What the heck had just happened?


	105. Frightening Control

Frightening Control

Shinichi had grown up with the ability to see and – to some extent – control ghosts. Not that that meant much, aside from its rarity.

Ghosts were non-corporeal…and completely intangible. All those myths about ghosts haunting place – yeah, it was quite likely that was true. However, most ghosts couldn't do a damn thing to effect anything in the physical world – except humans.

Maybe humans were just naturally susceptible, maybe it's a trait shared by all living things, who knows? Either way, ghosts have an amazing ability to screw with the emotions of humans around them. When you're a kid and everyone around you gets angry for no reason, this is frightening. When you're a kid that can control these ghosts, this means fun times.

Shinichi's fondest memory of his abuse of power was the time he'd put it to use in the second grade classroom. Giving the teacher a headache by making all her charges bipolar had been entertaining. Messing with her head to make her even more frustrated had been fun, too. The best part, however, had been playing with the vice principal's emotions when he came to check on the class. Especially since the man had been accompanied by the entire school board. Shinichi might've felt guilty about the vice principal losing his job if the guy hadn't given him a month of detention for kicking a ball into his window. That incident had had the side effect, however, of giving the entire class a subconscious fear of the unnatural – under which he himself fell.

He'd refrained from using his abilities as much after that, especially when he realized that Ran, who had been exposed to his power more than once growing up, had come to be absolutely terrified of the unnatural.

There was another big side effect to having these powers. Namely, Death. Since he'd been small, the presence of Death had always loomed around him, presumably connected to his ability to see and control ghosts.

He hadn't realized this was odd until he'd had to change schools because the entire student body and faculty thought he was a harbinger of death.

And perhaps he was. Death certainly appeared to follow him wherever he went. It scared him that no one else apparently had that happen. They couldn't see ghosts and they couldn't see Death.

He'd been so relieved at Teitan when Tan had decided to be his friend, even with the alarming number of crime scenes he ran into.

Hiding his abilities from her…it hurt. He was keeping such a big part of who he was – _what_ he was – from her that he felt that she could never really know the real him, never be able to understand him.

And that hurt. She was his best friend, but he could never truly be himself around her.

Shinichi had grown up with the ability to see and control ghosts. By the time he was approaching adulthood, he'd nearly completely denied himself his powers.

Then Conan came, and he had a chance to start over and embrace his unique abilities. After all, the ghosts _did_ help him on cases and he was already viewed as weird for his body count. He may as well make it worthwhile.


End file.
